It's Not Easy Being Dawn
by KlonoaDreams
Summary: She has to deal with a hyper childhood friend-turned rival, a somewhat lazy assistant who loves to eat, and an extremely wealthy, sheltered lookalike of her. Her starting Pokemon consist of a Chimchar and a Starly with a broken wing. Aside from daddy abandonment issues, this is nothing unusual in the life of Dawn. Except for that cult, Team Galactic...that is very new.
1. Torrent and Blaze

A/N Hello peoples! It's KD back with another story-er, actually, it's more of a remake. After seeing the horrific grammar and accelerating plotline (which was very rushed), I decided to revamp it! You will see a lot of change and a big difference in writing style…okay, let's get it over with the disclaimer!

**Disclaimer for whole story: I don't own Pokémon Platinum or any of the Pokémon franchise whatsoever! **I only own my DS and Pokémon games!

I was only a year old when this series first published its first game! DX I'm not that creative! I just write stories…Plus, I'd be rich, would I even be here if I did own Pokémon? Nope! XD

AU Summary: Dawn has to deal with her hyperactive childhood friend-turned rival alongside her Starter that can't even control its ability, a somewhat lazy assistant who loves to eat and has to escort this extremely wealthy and somewhat sheltered lookalike of Dawn, and this whacked out Organization that might as well be considered a cult... Aside from typical daddy abandonment problems, this seems nothing out of the usual...except for the cult. That's is very new.

"This" is talking

"_This"_ is thoughts/Pokémon speak

"_**This"**_ is radio/transmissions/translations/etc…

* * *

It was just another normal day in Twinleaf Town. The bird Pokémon were chirping about, unless they were Murkrow, then they were annoying the hell out of anyone that crossed their path with a shiny object. The season changed from winter to spring, bringing about warm weather and a sunny day…

WHOOSH!

Ignore that cold blast of air—

PLOP!

—and the snow that fell off that tree branch into a pile. Okay, the season had _yet_ to change as it was _still_ late winter, but it would soon go to the earliest beginnings of spring…in a few weeks or so. Snow was still about with very visible piles of it decorating the growing green grass and the sun was blocked off by passing clouds.

As mentioned before, it was just another day. Within one of the many houses in Twinleaf Town, a rather somewhat elegant-looking house, a young girl was flipping through the channels on her TV within her room. The girl had long, sapphire blue hair that trailed down to her waist. She had big, wide steel blue colored eyes and seemed to be just in her preteens, somewhere between eleven and twelve years old.

She yawned loudly, tears welding up in the corner of her eyes as she had just woken up a few minutes ago. She was still wearing her pink nightgown and had yet to eaten breakfast or brush her hair…not like she gave a damn about the former and last. The middle was a different story as she was currently waiting for her mother to make breakfast.

As the girl continued to flip through the channels, she couldn't help but think, _"Over five-hundred channels and there's nothing to watch."_

It was something that had been said (or thought of, in this case) too soon as the girl came upon a certain Jubilife TV channel. The girl stopped changing channels to watch what was going on. Apparently, she had came upon a special program by chance on her TV about Professor Rowan…Rowan…why did that name sound familiar? The girl shrugged and decided to watch the program. About sometime later…at least twenty minutes later, the program seemed to come to a finish.

"'_**Pokémon are by our side, always. I hope you will understand the meaning of those words.'**_

_**That was the comment left by Professor Rowan who has returned to Sinnoh from the Kanto region."**_

The girl turned onto her stomach on her bed, having been lying on her back the whole time. The girl winced as she felt a headache coming as a result of watching TV upside-down.

"_**That concludes our special program, 'Let's ask Professor Rowan!' brought to you by Jubilife TV on Nationwide Net!"**_

The girl blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes as her only source of entertainment just ended.

"Let's see what next," she said, flipping the channel.

At that exact moment, an energetic blond-haired boy with orange eyes barged right into the girl's room without knocking.

"Hey, there you are, Dawn!" the boy exclaimed brightly.

Dawn's eyes widened as she shrieked and fell off her bed from complete shock and surprise.

"AAAAAGHH!" she exclaimed.

THUD!

The blond-haired boy winced and looked at Dawn nervously as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"Ehehe…oops," he said.

Dawn was sprawled onto the floor with spirals in her eyes, groaning in slight pain as she tried to recollect her thoughts.

"Ugh…" she groaned.

After a few seconds, Dawn lifted her head off the ground and shook it as she threw the coldest stare she could make at the blond-haired boy.

"BARRY!" she shouted. "What the hell did I tell you about knocking first? Dear Arceus, nobody knocks anymore!"

Barry laughed nervously as he watched Dawn get up from the ground. After Dawn dusted herself off, she froze and looked at Barry, having just realized something.

"What are you doing in my house?" she asked. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Barry blinked and scratched his head as he tried to remember. "It's…nine in the morning!"

Dawn narrowed her eyes as she glared at Barry. He didn't even bother changing out of his orange-colored flannel pajamas… Immediately after taking one look at the TV, Barry looked at Dawn with an ecstatic smile on his face.

"Hey, Dawn!" he said rather quickly. "Did you see the TV?"

Barry didn't give Dawn a chance to answer as he quickly replied, "Sure you did! Professor Rowan's that really important guy who studies Pokémon, right?"

Dawn blinked a few times and decided to stay quiet as Barry was, once again, going to answer for her.

"That means he must have lots and lots of Pokémon!" said Barry.

Dawn could already tell where her blond-haired friend was going with this conversation.

"So, if we ask him, I bet he'd give us some Pokémon!" Barry quickly replied.

"_Saw that coming,"_ thought Dawn. "Why should we ask him? I mean, I can get my mom to lend us Nyu so we can catch us a Pokémon…"

Barry looked at Dawn and shook his head vigorously. "NO! You know how Nyu doesn't listen to us like Alto did and—! Hey!"

Dawn blinked as Barry suddenly dashed over to her desk, looking over the computer that somehow stood out within the decorative room that belonged to Dawn.

"Is this a new PC?" exclaimed Barry.

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Dawn's face.

"Please don't mess with it like the last one," said Dawn. "I can't afford another one with my mom's current budget…"

Ever since Dawn's mother settled down in Twinleaf Town some time before Dawn was born, her mother depended on a quarterly amount of income from her parents to pay off the bills and such. Johanna, Dawn's mother, had no job and no ways of earning sufficient money with her current schooling.

Johanna was by no means a dropout…she just never went to college. So job opportunities for Johanna were usually with low pay by the hour and rather than take up many jobs to make the sufficient money to keep the household up, Johanna got a boost from her parents. It was their way of helping out Johanna…especially with what happened years ago when Dawn was just a toddler… But that's enough about that, back to story!

Barry blinked a few times and backed away from the PC, laughing nervously as he remember what happened to the last one. He accidentally broke it…literally via dropping it due to his scarf being caught on the monitor and him standing up and running out of the room so suddenly.

"Uh…where was I?" asked Barry.

Dawn sighed as a large bead of sweat rolled down the back of her head. Barry was still as hyperactive as ever with the shortest attention span of possibly a Pachirisu. Nevertheless, it always took Barry a few seconds to realize he got off topic… Barry ran back to Dawn's side.

"Oh, right, right!" he exclaimed. "We're going to see Professor Rowan and get some Pokémon! I'll be waiting outside! OK, Dawn?"

Dawn stayed silent as she stared blankly at Barry. Barry grinned widely and poked Dawn on the nose with his index finger as he said, "If you're late, I'm fining you ten million Pokédollars!"

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Dawn's face.

"_Please, for the love of Arceus, please just be joking… my mom can barely afford to save a million Pokédollars!"_ thought Dawn. _"And…"_

Dawn blinked a few times as Barry was about to make his way outside. She narrowed her eyes and grabbed Barry by the back of his shirt as he dashed by the blue-haired girl.

"Barry, haven't you noticed that you're still wearing your pajamas?" asked Dawn. "Really, Barry…aren't you supposed to be the mature one?"

Barry blinked a few times and looked at his clothes, laughing awkwardly as he realized that he still hadn't changed. And about that, "mature one" comment…okay, so he may be the older one, but that doesn't mean he has to be mature!

"Give me a break!" said Barry. "Not my fault I have a short attention span…"

"Actually, yes it is…I sometimes wonder the exact same thing that your mother usually says," said Dawn. "Who DO you take after?"

Barry blinked and frowned as he said, "If I told you, then you might not be my friend anymore."

Dawn tilted her head to the side and asked, "What makes you think that?"

Barry shrugged and replied, "I dunno…can you let go of me?"

Dawn looked at Barry. "No."

"Dawn!" a voice from downstairs called out. It was Dawn's mother, Johanna. "Your breakfast is ready! Barry, you can join us if you want to. I already set a plate down for you!"

Dawn looked at Barry again and let out a mushroom sigh. Why did she see that coming? Oh, right! It's happened _more_ than once!

"Barry, your clothes are in the bathroom in the left hallway!" Johanna called out again. "I think you might feel comfortable if you change."

Barry blinked a few times and said, "Thanks, Ms. Berlitz!"

"Call me Johanna or Mom, Barry!" exclaimed Johanna. "There's no need for the formalities, remember?"

Barry nodded and pulled himself out of Dawn's grip as he made his way out of the room. Dawn looked at the doorway and sighed.

Sometime later,

A woman with short, dark-blue hair and blue eyes stood in front of the kitchen sink, washing the dishes. She was wearing white, long-sleeved shirt and blue Capris with a pink apron tied around her waist. The woman was Johanna Berlitz, mother of Dawn and part-time caretaker of Barry Hiyama. She looked over her shoulder at Dawn and Barry, both of whom were at the table, eating breakfast (which were chocolate chip pancakes).

"So what brings you here, Barry?" asked Johanna. "The usual?"

Barry blinked and looked back at Johanna, his mouth full of food. Dawn looked at Barry and sighed as she answered for him.

"The usual…you know?" said Dawn. "Looking for the Red Gyarados, checking out some myths at the library that need investigation…same old, same old, right Flapjack?" (1)

Barry nodded and swallowed his food. He looked at Dawn sternly and exclaimed, "Don't call me Flapjack!"

A small smile formed on Dawn's lips in amusement to her friend's behavior.

"Sure…Flapjack," Dawn said, purposely ignoring Barry's request as a way to annoy him.

Barry scowled at Dawn and suddenly stood up from the table. He slammed his fist down on the table and pointed his index finger at Dawn.

"That's it!" exclaimed Barry. "I'm fining you!"

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Dawn's face. Dawn held up her hands in her defense.

"Now let's not get carried away…you know I can't afford your fines!" said Dawn.

Barry just furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.

"Well…I'm gonna go change," said Barry. "By the way, Johanna…your cooking skills never cease to amaze me! Great job!"

Johanna just smiled and replied, "Thank you Barry."

Barry just nodded and smiled before dashing off upstairs. Dawn looked at her plate full of half-eaten pancakes and sighed as she pushed them away, not feeling that hungry.

"I guess I better get dressed as well…" said Dawn. "Breakfast was delicious as usual, but I'm just not that hungry anymore…"

Johanna frowned and walked over to the table to pick up the plates. Dawn sighed and stood up from her seat. She turned and started to make her way to the stairs.

"Dawn…do me a favor and stay away from the tall grass once you go out," said Johanna. "And please…please keep an eye on Barry."

Dawn stopped midway up the stairs and looked at her mother, saluting her afterwards as she said, "No promises, Mom."

And with that said, Dawn made her way back upstairs, leaving her mother alone. Johanna looked at where her daughter just stood and sighed.

"I'm beginning to think that you've been hanging out with Barry too long," Johanna said, which just so happened to be an understatement.

Barry practically _lived_ in the Berlitz residence…meaning he had twenty-four hour access to Dawn if given the chance. He has done it before and that was when he accidentally fell asleep under the bed, playing hide-and-seek with Dawn…at night. According to Barry, which Dawn couldn't help but agree, playing hide-and-seek at night is more fun than playing it during the day. Something about there being better places to hide in places that need lighting…which was true.

* * *

Sometime later,

Dawn looked at herself in the mirror as she tied her white scarf around her neck. She adjusted it a few times and looked at the mirror again. She blinked and nodded in approval before reaching for a white beanie with a pink Poké ball print on it off the rack. She placed the beanie on her head and looked at the mirror again, sighing.

"To think, I could be playing _Ocarina of Time_, but no~!" said Dawn. "Stupid Barry…this better be worth it…"

THUD!

Dawn nearly jumped when Barry just barged right into her room, the door slamming against the wall. Barry was dressed, now wearing black pants with an orange and white striped long-sleeved jacket over a black shirt.

"Heeey Dawn!" exclaimed Barry.

Dawn clutched her chest as she stared at Barry, her heart pounding and her body stiff. Barry really scared her…oh, so badly.

"Dear Arceus…Barry, you jerk!" Dawn said, her voice somewhat choky. "Why didn't you knock? You're lucky I'm dressed already!"

Barry rubbed the back of his head nervously as he apologized to Dawn.

"Sorry, Dawn…didn't mean, to," said Barry. "By the way, have you seen my scarf?"

Dawn blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes.

"Barry, we just have your clothes, not your scarf," said Dawn. "It's one of the only things you don't have a duplicate of…like your shoes, which are downstairs."

Barry nodded and turned around as he quickly dashed out of Dawn's room.

"I'll be at my house!" Barry exclaimed as he ran down the stairs. "Remember! If you're late, I'm fining you ten million Pokédollars!"

Dawn's eye twitched slightly as she stared at her doorway. She stayed like that for a few moments until she heard a familiar closing of the door sound.

SLAM!

"Dawn, Barry left!" Johanna called out.

Dawn sweated dropped as she sighed. What was she going to do with Barry?

"Honestly, why are we still friends?" Dawn asked herself.

…

…

…

"Okay, now that's a stupid question," said Dawn. "Barry's a nice kid…I think that settle's it. I better stop talking to myself and get over to Barry's before he fines me."

And so she did…

THUD!

Dawn collided with Barry moments after she opened the door to his house. While Barry managed to keep his balance and footing, Dawn landed flat on her tailbone… Dawn winced in pain as she rubbed her backside. She looked up at Barry and scowled as she noticed that he was quite all right, unlike her…she was not pleased.

Dawn grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Barry as she yelled, "Quit running into me!"

SPLAT!

Barry yelped as a handful of snow was thrown right into his face. He shook his head and wiped his face afterwards. He glared at Dawn as that was uncalled for!

"What was that all about?" exclaimed Barry.

Dawn growled at Barry. He had no right to say that!

"I just landed on my tailbone, no thanks to you!" yelled Dawn. "Gah…that really hurt… Stop staring at me! The least you can do is help me up, Barry!"

Barry blinked and nodded as he held out his hand to Dawn. After pulling Dawn off the ground, Barry let go of her hand as the blue-haired girl wiped off the snow on her dress.

"Watch where you're going next time, Barry," said Dawn. "Or at least try…"

Barry laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Well…anyways…I'm going to see Professor Rowan!" he said ecstatically. "You should come, too!"

Dawn looked at Barry and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't change the subject, Barry," said Dawn.

Barry ignored Dawn as he added, "And quickly!"

"_Well, I've lost him…"_ thought Dawn.

Barry was about to run off, but he stopped himself as he remembered something.

"Oh, crap!" said Barry. "Forgot something!"

"Your scarf?" asked Dawn.

Barry blinked and looked at himself. He was wearing his green scarf around his neck.

"Nope, wearing it right now," said Barry. "Well, I'm going back inside!"

Barry ran back inside his house, leaving Dawn outside, alone. Dawn sighed and walked into the house, closing the door behind her. Barry's mother stood by the television, wearing a nervous expression on her face.

"Hello, Dawn," she greeted. "Are you looking for Barry? He's upstairs in his room."

Dawn nodded her head as she walked past Barry's mother.

"Thanks, Suzuki," said Dawn.

Suzuki sighed as she said, "He just can't sit still, that boy. I wonder who he takes after?"

"I wonder that myself," Dawn muttered as she walked up the stairs.

Once Dawn reached the top of the stairs, she walked into the hallway to the right and came to an opened door at the left side of the hallway.

"Leave it to Barry to not even bother closing his door…" Dawn thought as she walked into the room.

Barry's room was surprisingly clean…for once. Not a single article of clothing was on the ground, the bed was made, the books on Barry's bookshelf were organized…and the closet wasn't stuffed. From the looks of how everything was organized…especially the books, Barry had been the one to clean his own room…what the heck?

"Who are you and what have you done to Barry?" exclaimed Dawn.

Barry was currently packing his items into his satchel. He got his journal, a map, and a few potions in case he or Dawn got hurt…yeah, even though potions were meant for Pokémon, it still had some type of medicinal value for humans. Barry heard Dawn's outburst and turned around to see a rather shocked Dawn.

"Seriously, Barry…your mom always has to clean your room!" said Dawn.

Barry blinked a few times and grinned as he rubbed his nose with his index finger.

"I've decided to become more responsible and start doing things on my own," said Barry.

Dawn looked blankly at Barry. "Bullcrap, you want something so you cleaned your own room."

Barry flinched at Dawn's statement…she was dead-on.

"Before you ask, I've known you for nearly my whole life," said Dawn. "That's how I know…"

Barry nodded and pulled his satchel on as he stood up.

"Okay!" he exclaimed. "I'll be waiting on the road! Remember! A hundred million Pokédollars if you're late!"

"Quit fining me, I'm not rich!" exclaimed Dawn.

Barry seemed to have ignored Dawn dashed out of his room, leaving said girl alone. Dawn stared at the doorway and sweat dropped.

"And I thought it was a ten million fine…" said Dawn. "Gah, might as well go before I go bankrupt…"

Sometime later,

Dawn sneezed after a sudden cold blast of air hit her. She shuddered a bit as she pulled down on her skirt.

"Why does mom insist on buying me designer clothes?" muttered Dawn. "What I would give for a pair of jeans…how in the heck can mom even afford this type of clothing with our current budget?"

…

Sigh…

"I really gotta stop talking to myself…" said Dawn. "I don't think it's healthy for me to…Barry!"

Barry was just up north ahead of Dawn, waiting by the sign that was just by the entrance to Route 201. Barry turned and smiled as he saw Dawn running towards him.

"You're late!" exclaimed Barry.

Dawn blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"You're just too slow!" Barry exclaimed as he grabbed Dawn's hand. "All right! Let's get moving to Professor Rowan's lab!"

Dawn blinked again as Barry began to drag her towards what seemed to be… a simple patch of tall grass—hold on! Dawn dug her heels into the ground, slowing Barry down. Barry stopped and looked at Dawn.

"What's wrong?" asked Barry.

"We're not supposed to go into the tall grass!" exclaimed Dawn. "My mom said so!"

Barry arched his brow at Dawn. "Don't go into the grass, right?"

Dawn nodded her head. "Some Pokémon tend to live in the grass, remember? What if we end up disturbing one and it attacks us? What do we do then? We don't have a Pokémon to defend ourselves…"

Dawn had a point there, much to Barry's dismay. Usually, this wouldn't be much of a problem, but the way to Sandgem Town, where Professor Rowan's lab was located, wasn't as simple as the way to Lake Verity. Lately, the Pokémon have been restless…almost as if something was wrong. Any provocation to them would set them off into attack mode, which is what brings up the current dilemma Dawn and Barry had at the moment. It would be easier if they had some repel or an adult with them, but Dawn and Barry had neither.

Dawn blinked when she noticed a sudden wide grin cross Barry's face.

"_Oh, no…"_ thought Dawn.

"Don't worry!" said Barry. "I have an idea!"

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Dawn's face as she said, "I'm even more concerned."

"Now listen," said Barry. "You know how wild Pokémon jump out when you go into the tall grass? So, what you do is, you scoot over to the next patch of grass before any wild Pokémon can appear!"

Dawn continued to listen to Barry with a blank expression on her face. She found Barry's idea pointless, dangerous, and reckless…the typical traits of Barry's ideas.

"If we keep dashing, we can get to Sandgem Town without running into wild Pokémon!" Barry continued before backing up a few feet. "Okay, stick with me!"

Dawn crossed her arms as she watched Barry give himself some distance to add to his velocity when he took off.

"Okay, here goes!" exclaimed Barry. "On your marks…"

Dawn blinked a few times as she realized that Barry was serious with his idea.

"Barry, stop!" exclaimed Dawn.

Barry ignored Dawn as he made a dash for it towards the patch of grass. He was almost just a few inches from stepping into the grass, when suddenly!

"HOLD IT!" boomed a loud, gruff voice.

Barry immediately slid to a stop next to Dawn, whom then slapped Barry on the face.

SLAP!

"Barry, you idiot!" exclaimed Dawn. "You could've gotten hurt!"

Barry rubbed the red mark on his face. "Sorry…who was that?"

Barry and Dawn turned to see who it had been who had yelled. The two blinked as they watched an old man walked towards them. He wore a suit consisting of a white, collared shirt with a blue vest and a dark, grayish-brown tie and black pants. He wore a trench coat that was the same color of his tie, most likely worn for the occasion of the currently chilly weather.

He had short, somewhat unkempt hair and a bushy mustache. His hair was white with age and the expression on his face was very stern, almost up to the point of near intimidation. His cold, blue eyes seemed to stare into the souls of the two children.

Dawn clenched her teeth as her eyes widened. She recognized the man as Professor Rowan…the same professor who she had seen on TV. What was he doing on Route 201? Considering the direction he came from, Dawn assumed that he had been at Lake Verity…but why?

"You two don't seem to have any Pokémon between you…" Professor Rowan mused.

Barry blinked and swallowed hard as he looked down nervously. Dawn frowned and adjusted her beanie, obviously bothered.

"What is the meaning of going into the tall grass, then?" reprimanded the professor.

Barry stayed silent as he reluctantly looked at the professor. Professor Rowan's stare glared back at Barry.

…

…

Barry turned to Dawn, wearing a somewhat serious expression on his face. Dawn arched her brow at Barry's expression…it wasn't like him to pull off a serious expression.

"Hey, Dawn," Barry said, whispering loudly into her ear. "This old guy…"

Dawn diverted her eyes to the side at Barry. "Yeah…?"

"It's Professor Rowan, isn't it?" he asked.

Dawn blinked and closed her eyes as she let out an exasperated sigh. A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face and Dawn was clearly resisting the urge to face palm.

"_No shit, Sherlock…"_ she thought.

"What's he doing here…?" Barry asked, oblivious to Dawn's annoyed expression.

"That's what I'm wondering, myself…" Dawn replied.

Professor Rowan turned away from the two, somewhat insulted by Barry's words.

"I'm not an 'old guy'…" the professor muttered under his breath.

Dawn turned to Barry and glared at him, earning a nervous look from the blond. Professor Rowan walked away from the two, distancing himself from them by at least a few feet. Dawn and Barry looked at the professor nervously. He seemed to be thinking of something…

"Well, we're screwed," said Dawn. "Okay, let's get our stories straight…it was your fault."

Barry blinked and scowled at Dawn. "Hey!"

"It was your idea and I can't exactly take the blame for this," explained Dawn. "I warned you about the tall grass and if I took the blame, our mothers would sense foul play."

"Oh, yeah?" asked Barry.

"Barry…the fact that your idea was to dash through the grass all the way to Sandgem Town as a way to avoid wild Pokémon doesn't exactly sound like a plausible idea from _me_," said Dawn. "In fact, most of your ideas, if not all, are unlikely to ever come from me."

Barry rubbed the back of his head, thinking over what Dawn had told him.

"You do have a point…" he said.

"Don't I always?" Dawn asked as she crossed her arms.

"Don't push it…" snapped Barry.

* * *

Meanwhile with Professor Rowan,

The professor had been watching the two for some time after walking out of Lake Verity. He had seen that their reckless idea, or rather, the blond's idea was an attempt was to obtain Pokémon…

"…They tried to go into the tall grass because they wanted Pokémon…" he mumbled to himself. "Hmm…what to do…? Their world would surely change if they were to meet Pokémon…"

Professor Rowan looked over his shoulder at the two. He could see an obvious connection to the boy with someone he knew…as for the girl…the stare in her steel-blue eyes… Where had he last seen that stare? It was cold, yet there were some warm undertones within them…very much different from the stare he once knew, but with obvious similarities.

"Is it right for me to put them on that path…?" he asked himself.

…

…

Professor Rowan turned and walked back to the two children. Immediately, Dawn and Barry ceased their explanations to tell their mothers when they got busted. Professor Rowan stared at them sternly.

"You two," he said. "You truly love Pokémon, do you?"

Barry perked up at the question and jumped up, smiling ecstatically as he exclaimed, "We both do! We love Pokémon a whole lot!"

Dawn blinked and sighed as she realized Barry answered for her again. What's the point in even talking anymore?

"_I'm considering going mute…"_ thought Dawn. (2)

Professor Rowan continued to stare at the two, sensing a small disagreement between them. One had spoken for the other…he needed to hear it from both of them.

"I will ask you once again," said Professor Rowan. "You two…you truly love Pokémon, do you?"

Barry looked perplexed at the professor.

"What?" he exclaimed. "You can ask us a hundred times! The answer will never change! We'll both answer a hundred times, we love Pokémon! Right, Dawn?"

Dawn let out an exasperated sighed. "_Now_ you let me talk…sure."

Professor Rowan arched his brow at Dawn, noticing her slight annoyance involving her friend. He didn't exactly hear what he wanted to hear from her…he was sure she would have made a very impressionable answer. Though, now…these two…

"A pair of reckless kids who foolishly try to enter tall grass without Pokémon of their own…?" Professor Rowan said, shaking his head. "It worries me what people like that would do with Pokémon."

Dawn was unfazed with Professor Rowan's comment, but she could sense the impact it had on Barry. It had been his idea and yet, they were both taking the blame for it.

"Uh…" Barry stammered. "Well, I, uh…"

"Have you even considered letting your friend talk once?" asked Professor Rowan. "I have yet to hear an opinion from her…"

Barry swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat as he looked at Dawn, whom was glaring at him. He felt a chill run up his spine and shuddered. Dawn was very scary when she was mad and had the meanest of glares that could probably make a child cry.

"Young lady…you," said Professor Rowan. "Do you truly love Pokémon?"

Dawn blinked and turned to Professor Rowan, her composure faltering slightly at the stern expression he wore.

"Well…I do…" Dawn began, stopping herself as she realized that's wasn't what she wanted to say. "I don't…"

Professor Rowan arched his brow at Dawn.

"Whoa, hold up!" exclaimed Barry. "You're not making any sense, here!"

Barry clamped up when Dawn looked at him sternly.

"Let me explain…" she said firmly. "I don't truly love Pokémon…yet, I don't hate them as well. I'm not sure what I really think of them…my whole life so far, I have only encountered a few Pokémon."

Professor Rowan was intrigued as to where Dawn was going to in her explanation. Barry, on the other hand, was taking in Dawn's explanation. Just like her, he had only encountered a few Pokémon. For him, he didn't need any certain amount of Pokémon to encounter or any knowledge of them to confirm his love for them. Dawn, on the other hand, was still questioning hers.

"I grew to tolerate a few of them," Dawn continued. "I grew to dislike a few of them as well, but so far, I have only come to know one I have come to truly love…and that Pokémon is no longer with us."

Barry blinked and frowned as he knew what Pokémon Dawn was talking about. "Alto…"

Alto had been a Pokémon of Johanna's that Dawn had known for nearly her whole life up till last year, when age finally caught up with the Chatot… It was a sad loss for Dawn and her mother. Barry took it almost as hard as Dawn when he asked a month later why he hadn't heard anything from Alto.

Barry remembered that Dawn broke down after she answered his question. She had a tendency to sometimes bottle up her emotions until she was up to her breaking point where she just let it out all at once. Barry was more open with his emotions and he could never hold it in as long as Dawn.

"Anyways, I can't exactly say for sure if I truly hate or love Pokémon," Dawn continued. "It's too early to come to a conclusion…at least for me."

…

…

"I'm sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for…" said Dawn.

Barry bit his lip as he realized how much Dawn would learn if she received a Pokémon. She might get over her fear of becoming too close to a Pokémon and even learn to become somewhat more open…whatever it was, this was a good opportunity for his friend. And yet, he was ruining her chances…

Barry immediately got behind Dawn and pushed her towards Professor Rowan.

"H-Hey!" she said, very much surprised.

"Forget about me!" exclaimed Barry. "If any of us deserves to get a Pokémon, it should be my friend, Dawn! It was my idea in the first place to go into the tall grass…she tried to stop me, but I didn't listen…"

Professor Rowan arched his brow at Barry's sudden outburst. It was as if the boy had a sudden change in character…most likely an affect the girl had on him.

"Please…give my friend a chance," Barry said almost pleadingly to Professor Rowan.

Dawn's expression softened a bit as she looked at Barry. He was giving up his chance to obtain a Pokémon just for her…

"Thank you…" she said softly.

Professor Rowan laughed heartily, earning perplexed stares from Dawn and Barry.

"How mature of you…how old are you exactly?" the professor asked.

"I'm twelve," replied Barry. "I'll be turning thirteen this summer…"

"And you?" the professor asked Dawn.

"I just turned eleven during this winter," Dawn answered.

Professor Rowan nodded and looked at the two children thoughtfully.

…

"Very well, then!" said Professor Rowan. "I will entrust you two with Pokémon! I apologize for putting you through that exercise…"

Barry stared at Professor Rowan in awe. "R-really? Y-you're giving me a Pokémon, too?"

"Yes," the professor said, nodding his head. "However!"

Barry bit his lip as he listened intently to Professor Rowan. Of course, there had to be a catch, but Barry was willing to do it…just so he could get a Pokémon. Dawn waited patiently to see what the professor had in mind.

"You must promise me that you will never recklessly endanger yourselves again," the professor continued. "Now, then…"

"I promise!" exclaimed Barry.

"Ditto," said Dawn. _"Even though I'm not the reckless one…"_

Professor Rowan nodded and looked around, noticing something was missing.

"Hmm…" he said. "Now, where…?"

"Professor Rowan!" a distant voice called out.

Dawn and Barry blinked as they stared straight ahead, spotting a boy wearing a red beret walking hurriedly towards them. As he came closer, the two were able to get a better look at him.

The boy was around Barry's age and had short, navy blue hair with the dopiest-looking blue eyes. He wore a long-sleeved red shirt with a cobalt blue jacket and black pants. He also wore a white scarf around his neck and carried a briefcase in his right hand. He seemed to be eating a rice ball that he had in his left hand as he neared the professor.

"You left your briefcase at the lake!" the boy laughed warmly as he held out the briefcase to the professor.

"Ah, there it is!" Professor Rowan said as he nodded. "Lucas, nice work."

Lucas smiled as he took a bite out of his rice ball. "No problem."

Lucas was chewing his food, blinking when he realized the professor wasn't exactly alone. Standing behind Rowan, were two kids, a boy and a girl…both very familiar.

"Oh…is something wrong, here?" he asked, swallowing.

"What I am about to do is entrust these two with their own Pokémon," explained Professor Rowan.

Lucas blinked. "Pardon? But…aren't these Pokémon crucial? You're giving them away?"

"No need to be concerned, Lucas," said Professor Rowan. "We exist side by side with Pokémon. There comes a time when people should meet Pokémon. There is a world that should be explored together."

"For these two, today is that time and the place is right here," said Professor Rowan. "Go on! Open the briefcase and choose a Pokémon!"

Lucas nodded as he bit into his rice ball again. He understood the professor's reasons as he set the briefcase down on the ground.

"Well, you heard the professor!" he said, stuffing the last of his rice ball into his mouth afterwards.

Barry would usually be very happy at moments like these, but right now, he was currently staring intently at Lucas. He recognized him, but the name didn't click…hold on!

"Diamond?" said Barry. "Dia?" (3)

Lucas blinked and tilted his head to the side as he looked at Barry. He swallowed whatever food he had in his mouth and replied, "Pearl?"

Dawn snickered a bit at hearing Barry's first name. It wasn't how feminine it sounded, but the reaction on Barry's face to hearing his name.

"It's Barry, not Pearl, Barry!" exclaimed Barry.

Lucas smiled dopily at Barry. "Well, Barry…I'll have you know I go by Lucas, now…at least, while I'm escorting Lady and, speaking of her, what are you doing here, Lady?"

Dawn blinked a few times as she stared at Lucas. "Lady…?"

"Yeah, Platinum Berlitz…that's you, isn't it?" asked Lucas.

"Platinum Berlitz…wait!" exclaimed Barry. "Are you talking about _the_ Platinum Berlitz? You're escorting her?"

Lucas nodded. "Yeah…I know, hard to believe someone like me gets to escort her, right?"

Barry nodded his head as he stared at Lucas in awe. Dawn had her eyes narrowed at the mere mention of the name.

"Look, here," said Dawn. "While my name _is_ Platinum Berlitz, I'm not _the_ Platinum Berlitz…I go by my middle name for that exact reason to differentiate her from me." (4)

Lucas looked at Dawn and blinked. "Oh, so you're not Lady…?"

"I'm Dawn, remember me, Dia?" asked Dawn.

Lucas blinked again as he looked closely at Dawn. "Oh, hey Dawn! Sorry about that, but the resemblance between you and Lady is striking…except for your eyes, you two could pass for identical twins!"

"Wouldn't the term be doppelganger in this case since they share the same name?" asked Barry.

"Hmm…yeah, but Lady isn't exactly evil," replied Lucas. "She's just…very sheltered and a lady."

Dawn crossed her arms as she stared at the two boys.

"Nice to see that I'm being ignored here!" exclaimed Dawn. "Gah, Platinum Berlitz… Why did I have to be named Platinum?"

"It doesn't help that you also share the same surname," said Barry.

"And the same birthday," Lucas quickly added.

Dawn narrowed her eyes at Lucas and Barry. "Oh, thanks guys! I feel much better about my usually mistaken identity…"

Professor Rowan found the three children's banter rather amusing.

"I see you three are very well-acquainted," said Professor Rowan.

Dawn, Lucas, and Barry looked at Professor Rowan.

"Oh, that's right, Professor…" said Lucas. "This guy is Pearl—"

"That's Barry!" snapped Barry.

Lucas blinked and quickly corrected himself. "I mean Barry…and this girl over here who looks like Lady, is Dawn…we all go to school together."

Professor Rowan looked closely at Dawn and nodded as he discovered the resemblance between Dawn and Lady.

"You and Platinum wouldn't happen to be related, by chance?" asked Professor Rowan.

Dawn shook her head. "No…we just happened to have a lot of things in common and my mom goes by her mother's maiden name, which happened to be Berlitz."

"Just out of curiosity, what is your mother's real surname?" asked Professor Rowan.

Dawn shrugged. "She hasn't told me anything about it…just that she went by Berlitz by choice."

Professor Rowan nodded. "I see…well, go on and choose your Pokémon!"

"Does that include me as well?" asked Lucas.

Professor Rowan nodded. "Indeed…"

Lucas smiled widely as he opened the briefcase. Barry immediately felt a rush of excitement as he realized that he was getting a Pokémon. He grinned widely as he stared at the three Poké balls within the briefcase.

"I can't believe it!" exclaimed Barry. "I'm so happy now that I can't keep a straight face!"

Dawn looked at Barry with one eye open as she crossed her arms. "You can't keep a straight face, regardless."

"Oh, quiet you," Barry said, blinking a few times as an idea popped up in mind. "Hey, Dawn…you can choose first!"

Dawn tilted her head to the side, arching her brow at Barry.

"What devious idea are you up to, now?" asked Dawn. "Are you making me choose first so you could get a Pokémon that has a better advantage than mine?"

"Damn, you saw right through me," Barry swore. "Ah, screw it…you still go first! According to Professor Rowan, I'm mature and also, ladies first!"

"Wow, hell must've froze over," remarked Dawn. "And you're pushing it!"

"Shut up," snapped Barry.

"Hey, ya guys, I got a Pokémon right now, if you don't mind," said Lucas.

Barry and Dawn blinked as they turned to Lucas, who was holding a green-colored Pokémon in his arms. They looked at the briefcase and realized that a Poké ball was missing, meaning that Lucas already helped himself to a Pokémon.

The Pokémon was small in size and resembled a turtle or tortoise of some sort. It was primarily light green in coloration with yellow feet, eyes and jawbone. It had a brown shell on its back with a thick black stripe and a rim on it. One of the more prominent features the Pokémon had, aside from its jawbone, was the small seedling that grew on a brown-colored patch on its head.

Lucas held the Pokémon up as he looked at it.

"Hey, Professor!" said Lucas. "What kind of Pokémon is this?"

"That is Turtwig, the Tiny Leaf Pokémon," replied Professor Rowan. "The shell on its back is made of soil. It should feel moist if it's healthy…"

Lucas blinked and set Turtwig down before placing his hand on its back.

"Hey, it does feel moist!" exclaimed Lucas. "I'm calling you, 'Wig'!" (5)

Professor Rowan arched his brow at Lucas. Lucas noticed the professor's perplexed stare and smiled at him.

"It's a shortened version of its name!" explained Lucas. "Wig comes from Turt_**wig**_!"

Professor Rowan nodded and looked at the other two. Dawn and Barry were just staring at the two remaining Poké balls. It was just down to those two Pokémon…

"_What will they be?"_ Barry and Dawn both thought.

Lucas noticed the troubled expressions on his friends' faces and decided to save them the trouble by releasing the two remaining Pokémon from their Poké balls.

"All right, guys!" said Lucas. "Choose who you like!"

Dawn and Barry blinked as they stared at the Pokémon standing in front of them. One of the Pokémon resembled a small, chimpanzee. It was primarily a shade of orange with short, brownish-orange fur covering its body. Its face, outer ears, underbelly, hands, and feet were cream in coloration and the inside of its ears was red.

The Pokémon had five fingers on its hand, three toes on its feet, a swirl-like symbol on its chest and red markings above its blue eyes. The most prominent feature on the Pokémon was the burning flame on its rear end. It looked wary and somewhat nervous.

The other Pokémon bore a resemblance to a penguin chick. It had light blue colored feathers covering most of its body, save for the feathers covering its head, which were blue. It had a white face and a small, yellow beak with a light blue marking between its eyes above its beak that resembled a small crown. It had a blue, cape-like appendage extending from the back of its neck and had two white markings on its chest that resembled buttons on a shirt. It stood up straight with its head held up high, carrying an air of arrogance.

The chimpanzee-like Pokémon was obviously a fire-type from the telltale flame on its rear and the penguin-like Pokémon looked like a water-type from its blue coloring. The two Pokémon stared back at Barry and Dawn with curiosity. They were told to choose who they like, if they recalled. In truth, Lucas was referring to Barry and Dawn, but the two Pokémon didn't know that as they see who they liked more.

Barry stared intently at the chimpanzee-like Pokémon, not noticing that his stare made the Pokémon anxious under his gaze. He wanted that Pokémon and he didn't care if it was weaker than the blue one. Dawn wanted the penguin-like Pokémon for reasons that Barry wanted the chimpanzee-like Pokémon.

The penguin-like Pokémon wanted nothing to do with Dawn. For one, she looked girly and _waaay_ too prissy for the Pokémon's tastes. Where was the fun in having a Trainer like that? And for another thing, which is something that this Pokémon won't openly admit, was that there was just something in her eyes that just…it just freaked the Pokémon out. Barry seemed like a more suitable Trainer than Dawn and that's who the Pokémon chose as it scampered over to the blond's side.

The Pokémon ended up falling flat on its face right in front of Barry. Barry arched his brow at it as the Pokémon quickly recovered and proudly puffed up its chest with its head held high. It was a very proud Pokémon…

The chimpanzee-like Pokémon was left with Dawn and it was very okay with it, not wanting Barry as its Trainer. He seemed too reckless and loud…things might never get done at all with him as a Trainer. Dawn, on the other hand…something about her eyes intimidated the Pokémon. Even so, the Pokémon found Dawn a much better Trainer than Barry. There was just something about her that made the Pokémon feel much calmer…

Nodding its head, the Pokémon scurried over to Dawn and jumped up, latching its arms around the girl's neck. This was the first bold action the Pokémon had ever done in a long time…all for this Trainer. Yes, she would do…

"Gah!" yelped Dawn. "W-what's with this Pokémon?"

Professor Rowan arched his brow at the Pokémon latched around Dawn's neck.

"Strange…it's usually timid around strangers," Professor Rowan muttered under his breath.

"Hey, Professor…is that another Piplup?" Lucas asked, pointing at the penguin-like Pokémon. "Didn't Lady take that one?"

Professor Rowan shook his head. "The one Lady Berlitz took was female…this one is male."

Lucas nodded, reacting very passively when his Turtwig chomped onto the top of his head. He just smiled and patted his Turtwig on the head.

"Your Turtwig seems to have grown attached to you already," said Professor Rowan. "Turtwig are known to chomp onto their Trainers' heads as a sign of affection."

"Yeah, I like you too," Lucas said to his Turtwig. "So, Professor…what about that last Pokémon…is it a fire-type? What's wrong with it? It looked scared…"

"That's a Chimchar and yes, it is a fire-type," Professor Rowan answered. "Though, usually inquisitive and playful, this one's very timid… It has a personal problem…"

"Was it abandoned?" asked Lucas.

"It has nothing to do with abandonment…" Professor Rowan replied. "It's a bit complicated to explain, right now…though, it seemed to have grown attached to Dawn. So children, what do you two think of your Pokémon? I believe Dawn has Chimchar and Barry has Piplup."

Dawn and Barry looked at the other's Pokémon before looking back at their own…they didn't exactly choose their Pokémon, _they_ (the Pokémon) chose _them_.

**DOT DOT DOT…**

"Hey, I wanted that one!" Barry and Dawn exclaimed as they pointed at the other's Pokémon.

Professor Rowan resisted the urge to face-palm.

"_Not today, Rowan…not today,"_ he thought.

"Trade?" both Dawn and Barry asked each other as they held out the Poké balls they just took out from the briefcase.

Lucas grinned as he looked at the two. "That's not gonna happen any time soon…those two have already taken to you."

Barry blinked as he felt something nuzzling against his leg. He looked down to see that it was Piplup.

"Huh?" he said.

"I believe Lucas has a point," said Professor Rowan. "You see, Piplup are very proud Pokémon. What he's doing right now is something that no Piplup would ever do to anyone but its mother and any other Pokémon with familial connections that it wants to show affection to. The fact that he is doing such to you means he has come to accept you as his Trainer. It would be a shame to see his form of affection go to waste…" (6)

"Not to mention, it'll have an effect on his pride!" Lucas added.

Barry frowned as he looked down at Piplup. Lucas had to give him a reason worthy of a guilt-trip if he didn't keep Piplup…

"I guess you're stuck with me…" said Barry. "Well, on the bright side, we have the advantage over Dawn! And that means absolute victory!"

Piplup seemed very pleased with that. _"Lup!"_

"I can hear you, ya know," Dawn said as she tried to ignore the Chimchar around her neck.

The reason she wanted Piplup was because it didn't seem affectionate… Dawn didn't do affectionate…much. Alto was an exception and he was dead…

"_Char!"_ exclaimed Chimchar.

Dawn blinked as Chimchar began to nuzzle her neck. Her expression seemed to soften in reaction to the Pokémon's action.

"_I think I could make a small exception for this little guy…" _Dawn thought as she placed her hand on Chimchar's hand.

"Very well!" said Professor Rowan. "Both of you have chosen a good Pokémon, or rather…they have chosen you, as it seems. Now listen well! That includes you as well, Lucas."

Lucas, Dawn, and Barry turned to Professor Rowan.

"The Pokémon you have been entrusted with are unfamiliar with the world," explained the professor. "In that regard, they're much like you. As fellow newcomers to the world, I hope you'll do well together and overcome challenges you will face. If you have any trouble, come see me at my lab in Sandgem Town. And now, we'll be on our way."

With that said, Professor Rowan began to make his way through the tall grass. Lucas reacted slowly to this before quickly shutting the briefcase and taking it with him as he trailed after Professor Rowan. He still was rather passive about his Turtwig keeping its hold on his head with its mouth.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Wait up!"

Lucas stopped in his tracks after he was a few feet away from Dawn and Barry. He turned to them and waved.

"Sorry guys, but I have to go!" he shouted. "That's the life of a Professor's assistant! It was nice meeting ya guys! See you around, if you want!"

And with that, Lucas continued on his way after Professor Rowan.

…

…

"When did Dia become the Professor's assistant?" Barry and Dawn both asked each other.

The two just shrugged and looked at their Pokémon. Their first Pokémon…it felt awesome…and it was all thanks to Professor Rowan.

"Ya know, that Professor Rowan's really nice," said Barry. "On TV, he seems so stern and scary."

Dawn nodded in agreement. "He does…"

Barry blinked and grinned as an idea popped up in mind.

"Heheh, Dawn!" he said. "We've both got Pokémon, now!"

Dawn arched her brow at Barry. "And your point is?"

"There's only one thing to do, right?" asked Barry. "Are you up for it?"

"Sure, why not?" replied Dawn.

Barry grinned widely, almost dancing in place as he said, "I've always wanted to say this…"

Dawn tilted her head to the side, her Chimchar mimicking its Trainer's action in turn.

"The time has finally come!" exclaimed Barry. "Dawn! I challenge you to a battle!"

Dawn blinked a few times and exclaimed, "What?"

A few moments later,

Dawn and Barry stood on opposite sides with a reasonable distance between them as they stared off. Dawn looked almost as nervous as her Chimchar as she looked at Barry.

"Oh, crap…" she muttered.

Barry and his Piplup were very much pumped for their battle. Oh, how Dawn envied them…

"Piplup, use Pound!" said Barry.

Dawn stuttered a bit as she realized the battle just began. "Uh, uh, uh…Dodge, Chimchar!"

Chimchar blinked and dutifully listened to its Trainer's command, effectively dodging the attack Piplup almost dealt on it. This and Piplup's poor walking ability caused the Penguin Pokémon to fall flat on his face. Chimchar blinked a few times and laughed at Piplup. Ever since it had met Dawn…it had forgotten why it had ever been so nervous in the first place!

Piplup lifted his head off the ground and glared at Chimchar.

"_Piplup!"_ he growled, tears welding up in his eyes.

"Um…use Scratch!" said Dawn.

Chimchar stopped laughing and nodded as it ran towards Piplup, lashing at it with the sharp nails on its fingers. Piplup yelped as nails raked across his face, leaving white trails where they scratched.

"What in the…?" exclaimed Barry. "That one hurt! Okay, Piplup, use Pound again!"

Piplup recovered from Chimchar's attack and quickly rammed his arm on Chimchar's head.

"_Char!" _yelped Chimchar.

"Chimchar!" exclaimed Dawn.

Barry grinned widely. "Aha! That's the spirit, Piplup!"

Piplup jumped up and down ecstatically. _"Piplup-lup-lup!"_

Chimchar rubbed its head and looked at Dawn. Dawn bit her lip and decided to go for a more strategic move…

"Use Leer!" said Dawn. "Oh, Arceus, I hope this works…"

Chimchar blinked and diverted its gazed on Piplup. The next thing Piplup knew was that he was being glared at with the meanest stare he had ever seen Chimchar make. It was enough to make him flinch and almost cower in his spot.

"_Lup…"_ he whined.

"Okay, now use Scratch again and give it your all!" exclaimed Dawn.

Chimchar readied its hand and dashed towards Piplup. Barry didn't take well to this.

"Piplup, use Pound with full force!" he quickly exclaimed.

Piplup blinked and recovered from Chimchar's glare as he held up his arm, reading to bash the other on the head. The two Pokémon came at each other, their attacks colliding with the others'. It happened so fast that it was all a blur…

Barry and Dawn stared intently at their Pokémon, noticing their still positions and then…

THUD!

"Piplup!" exclaimed Barry.

Piplup had spirals in his eyes as Barry ran over to him. He had fainted…

"We lost!" wailed Barry.

Piplup immediately snapped out of his daze and looked at Barry with a frown on his face.

"_Lup…"_ he said, very disappointed.

Barry blinked and just smiled at Piplup. "That's okay! We did our best!"

Barry quickly turned to Dawn before looking back at Piplup, whispering to him, "We'll get them next time."

Piplup nodded his head at that comment.

"I won…" Dawn finally spoke.

Dawn couldn't believe it…she actually won that battle! A small smile formed on her lips as she looked at her Chimchar, who looked somewhat wearily at her.

_"Chimchar!"_ it happily exclaimed as it walked over to Dawn.

Dawn knelt down and picked up Chimchar into her arms. She gently embraced the Pokémon, very much pleased with its cooperation that lead to their victory over Barry.

"We did it!" she exclaimed. "Hah…we won…"

Barry looked at Dawn, now carrying his Piplup in his arms.

"Hey, Dawn," he said. "Let's go home…I'm beat after that battle!"

"Same here!" said Dawn. "Both our Pokémon need their rest…"

Barry nodded. "Yeah…let's go!"

Dawn and Barry walked all the way back to Twinleaf Town, the two very much pleased with what happened today. A lot of things happened…they met Professor Rowan, got re-acquainted with Diamond who now goes by Lucas, got their own Pokémon, and now…had their first battle. It was Barry's first loss and Dawn's first victory…

The two could now only wonder what tomorrow would bring, but first…they had a lot of explaining to do. How else were they going to explain their newly received Pokémon?

"Okay, let's get our stories straight…it was your fault," said Dawn.

"Hey!" snapped Barry.

"And for that, I would say I love you, but that's too sudden," Dawn quickly said. "So I'll just say, thank you."

Barry blinked a few times, rubbing the back of his head as he replied, "You're welcome."

For once, Barry's recklessness actually led to something good…

* * *

A/N End of chapter and hey peoples! :D I'm back with this story and, damn, ain't it revamped? I think it is! Well, now that I have more experience with writing and grammar, ignore the existence of this story of what it was before…yeah…

Okay, note time!

(1) Barry looks like Flapjack, end of story…or rather, Flapjack looks like Barry since Barry came first! Whatever it is, they look alike! XD

(2) I think I just made a reference how the main protagonist actually never speaks and pretty much is mute, only being able to answer "yes and no" questions and that "left or right" one as well.

(3) Say hello to _Pokémon Adventures_ influenced Lucas! Yep, he be Diamond from Pokémon Adventures. The passive, not much active, eater that owns a Turtwig…Lucas really needed a role in the game, so I decided to give him more of a role in this story…all whilst giving him a more recognizable personality! Now, I just hope that I got Dia's personality right…it's going to take a while, so excuse the somewhat OOC-ness! DX

Oh, and that would make Barry, Pearl, just…I dunno, more Barry than Pearl. XD

(4) Yes, I am aware that I have two girls named Platinum Berlitz, however…our rich Platinum Berlitz is crucial to the story…without her, Lucas got no role! XD And it brings in the motif this trio seems to have by going by their middle names instead of their firsts.

(5) Ladies and gentlemen…get used to Dia-er, Lucas, giving his Pokémon names like that. That is what Lucas will be doing since Diamond does that!

(6) Made that up within ten minutes…:D I feel happy for my creativity…what? It had to be done! This is now Piplup's form of affection…it only does it to those who it has a close bond to or feels is close enough, like this guy was to Barry. Also, I have noticed how Barry always gets a Chimchar and how Dawn always gets a Piplup, so I decided to switch the two since, for Lucas to have Turtwig (Dia's Sinnoh Starter Pokemon he was given by Lady was a Turtwig), Dawn had to have chosen Chimchar and Barry, Piplup...yeah...not changing it! DX

And that's about it! Tell me what you think, NO FLAMES! DX Constructive criticism is always welcomed and reviews are just splendid! :3 Well, continue onto the next chapter if you wish~!


	2. Zephyr

Dawn covered her mouth as she yawned absentmindedly, rubbing her eyes as she stared at the face behind her window. Her Chimchar sat on her shoulder, rubbing its eyes in a manner similar to its Trainer. A loud knocking on the window had woken the two up…Dawn had went to see what it was. She blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes as she found herself looking into a pair of orange-colored eyes.

"_Barry…"_ thought Dawn.

Barry was smiling nervously as he kept his grip on the windowsill from a window on the _second_ floor of a _two_-story house. One wrong move and he could end up on the ground in a pained heap…he didn't want that! He wanted Dawn to open the window and let him in!

"Please open the window…" Barry said, almost begging.

Dawn blinked a few times and sighed as she began to open the window.

"Fine…what do you want, Barry?" asked Dawn. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Chimchar nodded in agreement with its Trainer. _"Char!"_

Barry ignored Dawn and her Pokémon as he climbed into the room and landed flat on his butt on the floor. He let out a mushroom sigh of relief and then reached into his satchel he had brought along. He pulled out a Poké ball and pressed the button in the center, releasing the Pokémon inside of it. Piplup materialized right in front of Barry, tottering to the side a bit.

"_Pip…" _he chirped.

Piplup opened his eyes slightly and closed them, opening them again when he realized he wasn't inside his Poké ball. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes before looking around, stopping when his gaze fell on Barry.

"_Piplup?" _said Piplup.

"Rise and shine, Piplup!" said Barry. "It's the start of a new day and we're going on an adventure!"

Piplup blinked and scowled at Barry. Piplup charged at Barry and jumped him, repeatedly jabbing the blond on the head with its beak. It was obviously not amused with being woken up at…

"Three in the fricken' morning?" exclaimed Dawn. "The hell, Flapjack…?"

Chimchar glared at Barry as it angrily exclaimed, _"Chimchar!"_

Barry didn't respond as he was currently yelping in pain from the repetitive pecks to his head from Piplup.

"What's going on…?" a voice asked, yawning afterwards.

Dawn and Barry turned to the doorway to see a sleepy-eyed Johanna in a pink nightgown, similar to the one Dawn was wearing at the moment. Johanna was rubbing her eye as she looked drowsily at the two children…wait, two?

"Barry, what are you doing here?" asked Johanna. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Barry blinked a few times and yelped loudly as Piplup gave him one final and very hard peck on the head. Barry rubbed his head afterwards as he watched Piplup waddle away from him. He diverted his gaze on Johanna and smiled awkwardly at her.

"Good morning, Ms. Berlitz," Barry greeted rather sheepishly.

Johanna narrowed her eyes at Barry. "Don't be formal with me…okay, you two…downstairs, now! I want an explanation…"

Moments later downstairs,

Johanna had her hands on her hips as she stared at the two children sitting on the couch in front of her. Dawn and Barry looked nervously at the older woman.

"Okay, Barry…explain yourself," said Johanna.

"I couldn't go back to sleep, so I thought maybe Dawn and I could go do something…" replied Barry. "I mean, now that we have our own Pokémon, we can do things we couldn't anymore."

Johanna nodded. "I see…now that you have your own Pokémon, the tall grass won't be as threatening as it was before…"

"Exactly!" said Barry.

"I've been wondering…" said Johanna. "Where did you two even obtain your Pokémon?"

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Barry's face as he looked nervously at Dawn. Dawn bit her lip, deciding that now was as good as ever to tell her mother about what happened yesterday…

"Hey, mom…" said Dawn. "I need to tell you something…"

…

Johanna looked at Dawn and Barry, very much surprised with what they had went through.

"Wow…" said Johanna. "That's what happened to you two?"

Dawn nodded. "Yup…it was all Barry's fault!"

"Hey!" snapped Barry.

Dawn glared at Barry, causing the blond to immediately clamp up. Johanna ran her hand through her hair.

"You and Barry are lucky to have met Professor Rowan!" said Johanna. "Imagine if you didn't… I wouldn't like to think what the wild Pokémon might have done to you two."

"It was Barry's idea…I didn't cooperate with him!" exclaimed Dawn. "Why does everyone think I listen to Barry all the time?"

"Because you're basically his chew toy at times, dear," replied Johanna.

Dawn blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes. "This is rather demeaning coming from my own mother…"

"Get used to it, Sweetie," said Johanna. "We all go through situations like that…it's just a matter of dealing with it."

"Point taken…" remarked Dawn.

"So…what are you two gonna name your Pokémon?" Johanna asked, eyeing the two preteens' Pokémon.

Dawn and Barry looked at their Pokémon. They had no idea what to name their Pokémon…

"I dunno…" replied Dawn.

"Same here…" remarked Barry. "I'm stumped on what to name this little guy…"

Piplup scowled and jumped up. _"Piplup!"_

"I mean no offense to your pride, Piplup," said Barry.

Piplup crossed his arms and nodded firmly. Damn straight Barry meant no offense to his pride…

Dawn looked at her Chimchar closely. Chimchar looked back at her, tilting its head to the side in question.

"_Chim-char?"_ it said.

"What am I gonna name you…?" Dawn asked Chimchar. "'Pyro' seems too simple…I'm not really sure about your gender just yet, so 'Fira' and 'Flare' are out of the question until otherwise…that just leaves 'Blaze'…"

"_Char!"_ exclaimed Chimchar.

Dawn blinked as she looked at her Pokémon. "Hmm? You like, 'Blaze'?"

Chimchar nodded its head.

"Oh…well, then, your name is now, 'Blaze'," said Dawn.

Barry was somewhat envious of Dawn…she already named her Pokémon. Now what would he name Piplup?

"_Gah…this is hard!"_ thought Barry.

"Sweetie, did you know that Blaze is Chimchar's ability?" asked Johanna.

Dawn arched her brow at her mother. "Ability…?"

"Every Pokémon has an ability…my Glameow's just so happens to be Own Tempo," explained Johanna. "She can't be confused…Chimchar's ability activates when it is weakened, usually near its fainting point. It powers up its fire-type moves in a pinch."

Dawn blinked a few times and nodded. "Oh, that's good to know!"

"Hey, Johanna!" said Barry. "What about Piplup? What's his ability?"

Johanna looked at Barry and replied, "It's Torrent…it works the same way as Blaze, only instead of powering up fire-type moves…it powers up water-type moves."

Barry grinned as he looked at his Piplup. "I'm naming you, 'Torrent', then!"

Piplup looked questioningly at Barry. "Pip…?"

"I think this settles your naming dilemma," said Johanna. "Now about Professor Rowan…you two should go see him and thank him properly for your Pokémon."

Dawn blinked. "Um…you mean right now?"

"At this hour?" questioned Barry.

Johanna seemed to have ignored Barry and Dawn. "His lab is in Sandgem Town, isn't it?"

"It is…" Dawn replied.

Barry looked at Johanna and Dawn before shaking his head.

"Okay, I don't know about you, Dawn, but I'm going!" he exclaimed, immediately standing up from the couch and picking Piplup up. "Onwards, Torrent! Destination Route 201!"

With that said, Barry barged out of the Berlitz residence, leaving behind his friend and her mother. Dawn stared at the opened door and sighed.

* * *

A few moments later,

Dawn walked down the stairs, now wearing her usual attire. She adjusted the beanie on her head once she had reached the bottom of the stairs. She looked around and spotted her Chimchar, Blaze, snoozing on the couch. Blaze's tail flame was extinguished, revealing a small patch of red fur where its flame should be.

"Huh…never noticed that," said Dawn.

"Never noticed what, dear?" asked Johanna.

Dawn turned to her mother, whom was currently packing items into a pink and white backpack. Dawn blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes.

"Is that a new backpack?" she asked.

Johanna looked up at Dawn and smiled. "Isn't it just the cutest? It's the latest design!"

Dawn stared blankly at Johanna as her mother walked over to her, zipping up the backpack. Johanna handed Dawn the backpack and looked over her daughter.

"My little girl…already owning her first Pokémon…" Johanna said, smiling proudly at her daughter.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to go when it's not even _four_ in the morning?" asked Dawn.

Johanna blinked and ceased her smiling. "Huh, I guess you're right…"

Dawn arched her brow when she saw her mother's smile return to her face, even wider than it was before.

"Hey, I got an idea to pass the time!" said Johanna. "Let's document this momentous time in the photo album!"

Dawn stared wide-eyed at her mother and immediately rushed over to Blaze, picking the Chimchar up. Not long after, Dawn made a run for the door with her Chimchar in her arms.

"Gotta go, bye mom!" exclaimed Dawn.

SLAM!

Johanna blinked a few times and laughed, having just watched her daughter run out of the house. Johanna reached into her shirt and pulled out a locket she had been wearing around her neck. The locket was gold in color and was circular in shape decorated with engravings of stars and a sun in the center of it.

"Ah, they grow up so fast…" Johanna said, smiling endearingly as she opened her locket and saw the picture inside. "It's a shame you're not here…"

* * *

Sometime later with Dawn,

Dawn panted as she slowed down her pace, having run all the way from her house to the near entrance of Route 201. It was tiring, but it got her away from her mother.

"The last thing I need is for her to go overboard with the photo album…" muttered Dawn.

Blaze tilted its head at Dawn. _"Char?"_

"It's okay, you'll find out soon…unfortunately," Dawn sighed. "Gah…it's too damn early for this and—is that Barry?"

Dawn stopped in her tracks and blinked a few times as she saw, standing just a few feet away from her, was Barry with his Piplup. Barry had his arm crossed and was tapping his foot on the ground in an impatient manner. He had been waiting for Dawn…

Dawn smiled awkwardly as she ran up to Barry.

"Too slow!" remarked Barry.

Dawn frowned at Barry. "Sorry, but unlike you, I wasn't already changed!"

"Whatever!" Barry exclaimed. "I'm sick of waiting! We're going to see Professor Rowan so we can thank him properly!"

Dawn stared at Barry. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

"We both have to thank him properly," explained Barry. "Your mother even said so."

"Oh, right…" said Dawn.

Barry grinned widely. "So, I had this great idea."

"_Oh, Arceus, what is it this time?"_ thought Dawn.

"Listen up, okay?" said Barry. "You know that lake where we always play at? You know how they say a legendary Pokémon lives there?"

Dawn nodded her head in response. "Yeah, so what—you want to _catch_ that Pokémon!"

"You guessed it!" exclaimed Barry. "Let's catch us a Legendary!"

Dawn resisted the urge to face palm. _"Oh, god, how do I get hooked into these situations?"_

"That'll make Professor Rowan happy!" said Barry. "I'm sure of it!"

Dawn was inwardly crying for her sanity. It was a surprise that she hadn't snapped…

"Me and you together, we've got nothing to fear!" Barry said as he linked his arm around Dawn's arm.

"Together with you, I've got everything to fear…" wailed Dawn. _"Especially my sanity…"_

"Oh, don't be difficult, Platinum," said Barry. "We've got each other!"

"Shut it, Pearl…" muttered Dawn.

Blaze looked questioningly at Dawn before looking down at Torrent. The two just shrugged as they had no clue what was up with their Trainers. Tears were streaming down Dawn's cheeks as Barry began to drag her towards the lake. Torrent followed after them with uneasy steps, falling down every five steps or so. Blaze laughed at him for that, earning a glare from the Piplup. Torrent got back up with his chest puffed up and his head held high. He didn't give a damn! He meant to fall down!

"Yesterday, that Pokémon battle..." said Barry. "Wasn't that wickedly fun or what?"

Dawn didn't get a chance to reply as Barry continued on, "I mean, I'd pick the moves, and my Pokémon would use them! Yeah, I'm going to battle tons and get real close with Pokémon. What about you?"

"Same here…" she managed to say. "Hey, I can see my breath!"

Barry blinked and inhaled deeply before exhaling, watching the vapor flood the air.

"Wow, it's really cold…" said Barry. "It's colder than usual…"

"That's because it's almost four in the fricken' morning, you dunderhead!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Enough talking already!" snapped Barry. "I'm itching to get to the lake! Come on, come on!"

"_You're dragging me, you idiot!"_ thought Dawn.

Sometime later,

"All right, we're at the lake!" Barry exclaimed ecstatically as he pumped his fist into the air. "We gonna catch us a Legendary!"

"Woo…" Dawn said unexcitedly. "Can you let go of my arm, now?"

"No," Barry replied as he continued to drag Dawn along the pathway, passing by thick trees.

Dawn was very much close to slapping Barry across the face, but she decided against it… It was too damn early for this…

"Huh?" said Dawn.

Dawn's gaze immediately locked onto the sight of the glassy lake. She realized something…she had never seen the lake so late at night night-er, rather, so early in the morning, especially under a still bright and starlit sky with the moon full and white in the center of the sky. Puffs of warm vapor rose mysteriously from the water's tepid surface.

"Whoa…" Dawn breathed, her breath condensing into vapor moments after it came into contact with the air.

Barry stared wide-eyed at the lake. "Wow…we oughta come and visit the lake more often at night and early morning!"

"I would slap you for evening thinking about that, but I can't help but agree with you," said Dawn.

Barry nodded and looked away, blinking when he realized he, Dawn, and their Pokémon weren't exactly the only ones at Lake Verity. A person, an older man, was standing on the waterfront, his gaze focused on the island in the center of glassy lake.

"What's going on—?" Dawn asked, noticing that Barry was oddly quiet.

Dawn stopped when she realized that Barry was staring at a man just across from them. The man had short, somewhat spiky steel blue hair. He wore a long-sleeved, black shirt that was white from the chest down and black pants. He wore a sleeveless jacket over his shirt that was primarily gray in color with black and white near the lower half of the jacket. A golden 'G' was embroidered onto the left breast of his jacket, right where his heart should be.

"…The flowing time…" the man orated, holding his hands behind his back. "…The expanding space…"

The man's voice made Blaze and Torrent cower behind their Trainers. It was so emotionless…and cold…it was enough to send chills up Dawn and Barry's spines. Dawn shuddered as she rubbed her arms; her thick, red overcoat seemed to no longer provide enough warmth for her after hearing the man speak. Barry just stayed still as his body trembled. Never before had he heard someone so…emotionless.

"I will make it all mine one day…" the man continued. "Cyrus is my name. Remember it...Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokémon of the lake bed…"

Barry and Dawn felt even more shaken up when the tall man, Cyrus, as he called himself, turned around and walked towards them. As he walked closer and closer, the two were able to get a better look at his face. At first glance, he appeared to be older than he really was. His forehead was large and tense, and his face was sunken and sullen. It appeared as if his intensity alone had partially aged him many years.

Dawn was shaking all over as she stared at Cyrus. Blaze could sense its Trainer's distress and wrapped its arms around Dawn's neck. Dawn snapped out of it, placing her hand on Blaze's own for reassurance. She felt oddly calm, now…but still very much shaken up.

Barry, on the other hand, had broke into a cold sweat seconds after he made eye contact with Cyrus. His eyes widened as they stared into Cyrus's piercing steel blue eyes. Barry could feel his heart pounding within his chest with a palpable heartbeat. He stayed frozen, his gaze still locked onto Cyrus's, until…

"Allow me to pass," he suddenly spoke.

Barry snapped out of his trance and blinked a few times as he realized Cyrus was standing in front of him. Dawn had moved aside to make some room for Cyrus, but Barry, on the other hand, was still in the way.

"Stand aside…" the man commanded.

Barry swallowed the lumped that had formed in his throat as he stepped aside, allowing Cyrus passage. Cyrus looked at Barry and Dawn, bidding them a silent farewell. Minutes after he had left, Barry was the first to break the silence.

"W-what was t-that about?" Barry said, almost stuttering. "Weird guy…" (1)

Dawn looked closely at Barry.

"Barry, what's wrong with you?" asked Dawn.

Barry turned to Dawn, his eyes staring into her eyes. Immediately, his eyes widened as he realized something. Barry shook his head and held back his trembling arms, pretending not to be bothered.

"N-Nothing!" said Barry. "Okay, Dawn! Let's catch that Legendary!"

Dawn blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes as she realized Barry was trying to change the subject. Before she could say anything, a sudden ethereal cry caught their attention.

"_Kyauuun!"_ the cry echoed throughout the forest surrounding the lake.

Dawn and Barry looked around, trying to find the source of the cry. Blaze and Torrent tried to help out their Trainers, but found nothing in sight.

"Did you hear that?" asked Barry.

"Barry, I'm not deaf, of course I heard it," said Dawn.

"It was the legendary Pokémon crying!" exclaimed Barry. "That had to be it!"

Dawn nodded. "No crap…but why was it crying now of all times?"

"I guess we're just lucky," Barry said, shrugging. "Quick, get a Poké ball! This is our chance to catch it!"

Dawn blinked a few times. "Uh, Barry…"

"You know, Poké Balls!" Barry said again, obviously ignoring Dawn. "P-O-K-accent-E Balls!"

"Why are you spelling it and you know the accent is on the 'e', right?" asked Dawn.

"Cuz I feel like it and shut up!" snapped Barry. "So, do you have any?"

"I don't have any Poké balls," replied Dawn.

Barry blinked and flailed his arms about. "What do you mean you don't have any Poké balls? I thought you brought some!"

"Me?" said Dawn. "What about you?"

Barry let out an irritated groan. "If we don't have those we can't catch Pokémon or take them around with us!"

"Well, sorry!" Dawn said, crossing her arms as she huffed. "I didn't expect us to go Pokémon catching at four in the friggin' morning! Weren't we heading towards Sandgem Town to thank Professor Rowan before this?"

Barry looked blankly at Dawn for a few seconds, his expression brightening up when an idea popped up in mind.

"Do you think Professor Rowan would give us some if we asked him?" Barry asked Dawn.

Dawn blinked. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Didn't he say to visit him at his lab if we needed anything?" Barry said, grinning at Dawn afterwards. "So, let's go to his lab!"

"Isn't that where we were headed before you had the brilliant idea to catch that Legendary?" asked Dawn.

Barry ignored Dawn as he knelt down and picked up his Piplup. "Okay, Dawn! I'll race you!"

Dawn didn't have a chance to respond to this as Barry quickly exclaimed, "First one to the professor's lab in Sandgem Town rules!" before rocketing out of the lakeside area. Dawn stared out into space for a few seconds, shaking her head afterwards as she diverted her eyes on Blaze.

"Well, looks like it's just you and us…" said Dawn. "I doubt that we'll even make it to Sandgem Town before Barry…"

Blaze tilted its head to the side. _"Char?"_

"Hmm…Barry does have a tendency to get lost…" Dawn said as she placed her hand on her chin. "Fine! Let's try our best!"

Blaze smiled, exclaiming, _"Chim-char!"_

Moments later,

"For the love of Arceus!" exclaimed Dawn. "If I see another damn Bidoof, I'm gonna lose it!"

Blaze didn't say anything as it was too tired from battling four Bidoof in a row. By the time Dawn encountered the fifth Bidoof, she had enough and just yelled, "Screw it!" and picked up Blaze, making a run for it. She didn't have time for this crap…

"Gah!" exclaimed Dawn.

THUD!

Blaze looked down at its Trainer as it was held up in the air by Dawn. Dawn had just tripped over a tree root and fell flat on her face. Luckily for Blaze, Dawn was thinking about her Pokémon before herself and kept a firm grip on the Chimchar as she held it up, moments before landing on the ground.

"_Char?"_ said Blaze.

Dawn's voice came out all muffled as her face was still planted into the ground. She then lifted her face off the ground, spitting out dirt that managed to get into her mouth. She shook her heads afterwards and looked up at Blaze.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Dawn. "Hey…do I look okay?"

Blaze blinked and looked over its Trainer's face. Dawn's face was covered in a few scratches and dirt, but other than that, it was relatively normal. Blaze nodded in response, but not without highlighting the dirt on its Trainer's face. Dawn nodded and got up from the ground, setting Blaze on her shoulder as she wiped the dirt off her face with her hand.

"Thanks, Blaze," said Dawn. "Okay, I think we're almost there…"

"_Star!"_ exclaimed a voice. _"Star!"_

Dawn's ears perked up to a small and somewhat weak cry coming from a nearby tree. It sounded like a Pokémon…it had to be! Dawn looked at her Chimchar.

"Should we?" she asked Blaze.

Blaze just nodded, finding the cry rather distressing…the Pokémon sounded hurt.

"Okay…let's go see what it is," said Dawn. "Let's use that tail flame of yours to light up the way!"

Blaze saluted Dawn before hopping off her shoulder. Chimchar walked ahead of Dawn, its tail flame lighting up most of the way.

"Ya know…I wonder how Barry's putting up with having a water-type, now!" said Dawn.

* * *

Meanwhile,

"Thank Arceus for this conveniently placed flashlight in my dude-purse!" Barry exclaimed as he shone the flashlight's light on the pathway he was walking on. (2)

Torrent looked questioningly at his Trainer. _"Piplup?"_

"I prefer to call this a 'dude-purse' over a man-purse," Barry replied, referring to his satchel. "Now, if I recall, the lab has got to be…holy crap! Wild Bidoof!"

Torrent scowled at the brown-furred, rodent-like Pokémon glaring at them. It had sharp, front teeth and round tufts of fur on its tail with similar tufts in a ring on its face. It had a red nose, a black snout and a paler-colored underside. Along with that, it also had black, slightly webbed paws.

This was the fifth freaking Bidoof Barry and Torrent had encountered…

"Where the hell are they even coming from?" exclaimed Barry.

Nearby, a family of Bidoof slept peacefully in a burrow. They were unfazed by Barry's loud voice and about four of the Bidoof were very much trying to ignore him, having just been beaten up by Torrent. That pretty much explained where most of the Bidoof came from…those guys make homes just about anywhere!

* * *

Back with Dawn and Blaze,

"Blaze, you see anything?" Dawn asked as she checked around a few bushes.

Blaze looked down from the top of a tree branch and shook its head. So far, Blaze and Dawn have yet to find the source of the crying Pokémon and—

"_Star, star!"_ a distressed voice squawked.

Dawn and Blaze froze, turning their heads down slowly after realizing what they had been looking for was right in front of them. Blaze hopped off the branch, landing on Dawn's shoulder, giving Dawn better lighting with its tail flame to see what it was.

It was a bird Pokémon, a very small one, in fact, barely three quarters of a foot tall. It blended very well in its surroundings, having a brownish-gray colored body with a small white spot on its chest. The lower half of its wings as well as its head was black. The white-colored feathers on its face made it appear to have been wearing a mask, somewhat clover-shaped.

The Pokémon had black eyes with white pupils as well as a thin, orange, black-tipped beak. Its feet were orange and it had three tail feathers, two black of them black and one white in the middle. It seemed frightened, but also very enraged with how close Dawn and Blaze were.

"A Starly?" said Dawn. "What are you doing on the ground so early in the morning?"

"_Star!"_ squawked the Starly.

Starly tried to make itself look intimidating by lifting up its wings to make it look appear to be bigger than it really was. With its rather impressive wingspan, its attempt at being intimidating almost worked on Dawn and Blaze, except for one thing…

"_Star!"_ cried the Starly.

Immediately after just lifting its wings, or rather, wing as it was only able to fully lift its left one, Starly lowered them, looking over the right wing it had barely managed to move at all with a pained expression. Dawn blinked and frowned as she knelt down to the Starly's side.

The Starly didn't take to well to this as it immediately backed away from Dawn, its feathers puffed up and eyes staring directly at Dawn with a piercing glare. Dawn ignored the Starly's defiant attempt as she slowly reached out for it. Starly tried to ward off Dawn by pecking her hand, but it never had a chance to attack. It was quickly taken by surprise as Dawn suddenly lunged at it and grabbed a hold of it in her arms.

The Starly struggled violently within Dawn's arms, not taking very well to being held. It squawked and pecked at the girl's arms, only to stop when a sudden pain made it cry out. The Starly ceased its struggling, giving Dawn a chance to look it over. Blaze looked over its Trainer's shoulder to see what was wrong with Starly.

Immediately, Dawn noticed something was very wrong with how the Starly's wing was positioned. It seemed to hanging lower than its other wing in an awkward fashion. Gingerly, Dawn ran the tip of her finger over the Starly's right wing, earning a pained response from it.

"You're hurt…" Dawn stated.

"_Star!"_ cried the Starly. _"Starly! Star!"_

Dawn frowned as she got up off the ground. She couldn't just leave the Starly here…it was hurt and it couldn't fly at the moment. For most bird Pokémon, flight was a very much important ability to have as it kept them safe from most Pokémon that targeted them. For this little Starly…in this area, it wasn't much of a target and was actually safe, but still. Dawn didn't have it in her to just leave the Starly alone…not in this weather and time! She could feel it trembling in her arms…it was cold.

"Blaze, let's go…" said Dawn.

Blaze nodded and wrapped its arms around Dawn's neck. Dawn stood up and began to make her way back to Professor Rowan's lab…it couldn't be that far…

* * *

Meanwhile,

Professor Rowan nearly had a heart attack when Barry burst through his laboratory's front door. Professor Rowan had been on his computer, organizing some of his files and research and such at the time. He swiveled around in his chair to turn to Barry, arching his brow when he saw the state the blond and his Piplup were in. They were covered in dirt, leaves, and had some scratches.

"You're that boy from the other day…" said Professor Rowan.

"The name's Barry!" exclaimed Barry. "And I'm here for some Poké balls!"

"What's going on?" droned a very sleepy voice.

Barry blinked and turned to see a very drowsy, beret-less Lucas walking out of a hallway. He wore dark, blue flannel pajamas with slippers of the same color and perched on the top of his head where his beret should be (but wasn't), was Wig the Turtwig, who was half-asleep.

"_Tur…"_ Wig muttered.

Lucas stared drowsily at Barry, taking the boy a few seconds before he said, "Oh, it's you, Pearl…"

"That's Barry!" exclaimed Barry.

Lucas just rubbed his eyes, obviously unfazed by Barry's loud voice. "Can you keep it down? We're not the only ones here, ya know…"

"Indeed…Lady Berlitz has taken to rooming in the room next to Lucas's," said Professor Rowan. "It'd be best not to wake her…"

Barry rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Sorry…so, Professor Rowan…"

Professor Rowan arched his brow at Barry. "Yes…?"

"About those Poké balls…" Barry continued.

"You want me to give you some," said the professor.

Barry nodded his head eagerly. "Yes, please! There's this Pokémon me and Dawn are—"

"Speaking of Dawn, where is she?" Lucas interjected, yawning afterwards. "You don't usually go anywhere without her…"

Barry closed his eyes and waved his hand. "She'll be here in a bit…so, anyways! Me and her were gonna catch a Pokémon for you!"

Professor Rowan looked perplexed at Barry. "What for?"

"To thank ya properly!" replied Barry. "We really are grateful for you giving us our Pokémon…by the way, I named this little guy, 'Torrent'!"

Barry proudly held out his Piplup to Professor Rowan. Professor Rowan just stared at Piplup and nodded his head.

"He may not be showing it, but this Pokémon seems to be very happy," said Professor Rowan.

Barry brought Torrent to his chest and smiled. "Great!"

Lucas yawned loudly and diverted his gaze to the front door. "I'm gonna go wait for Dawn outside…gotta show her we're up."

"Tell her she lost!" said Barry.

Lucas nodded as he pulled his blue coat off the laboratory's coat tree it was hanging from. Dazed, Lucas put his coat on backwards; fixing it after his Turtwig bit him on the head and pointed out his mistake. Lucas yawned again as he made his way towards the door, stopping only to switch his slippers with his shoes. With nothing else left to do, Lucas walked out the front door, closing the door behind him.

Barry had been watching Lucas, finding him very amusing in his half-asleep state. He had yet to notice that Professor Rowan had left until the professor came back with an armful of Poké balls and called out to him.

"Here!" said the professor.

Barry blinked and turned around, his eyes widening as he stared at the Poké balls in awe. There were at least six Poké balls in Professor Rowan's arms…

"Whoa…sweet!" exclaimed Barry. "Now we can catch that Legendary Pokémon for you!"

Professor Rowan's eyes widened as Barry reached for the Poké balls. "Wait!"

Barry blinked and stopped, looking at the professor questioningly. "What is it?"

"You must not disturb it!" Professor Rowan said, placing his hand on Barry's shoulder.

Barry stared wide-eyed at the professor, wondering what it was that set him off. Torrent seemed slightly intimidated by the professor, but quickly huffed and pretended not to be bothered. He was too damn proud to show his fear! Even so, that didn't completely stop his body from trembling…

"But, Professor…we were gonna catch it just for you," Barry tried to reason. "You gave me and my friend a chance…"

Professor Rowan's hardened expression softened. The boy really meant no harm…

"You are still but a fledgling," said the professor. "There is still so much you need to learn, experience, and train for before you can even challenge the Legendary of the lake…"

Barry frowned, but nodded as he understood the professor's point. He had just received his first Pokémon and placing Torrent against a Legendary right now…yeah, it wouldn't end too well.

"I understand…" said Barry. "So what do I have to do to catch that Pokémon? How can I get stronger?"

Professor Rowan nodded firmly. "For most Trainers with their first recently obtained Starter Pokémon, they can either stay where they live and train from there—"

"But that's boring!" exclaimed Barry. "Where's the adventure and thrill of it?"

"—OR they could choose another path," Professor Rowan quickly interjected, managing to get Barry to clamp up. "And that is a Pokémon journey…you said you are twelve, right?"

Barry nodded in response.

"You are able to qualify for a license," said Professor Rowan. "With this, you are able to purchase Poké balls…I shouldn't even be giving you any until you've received your license."

"Then give me one!" said Barry. "I've been meaning to get one, anyways! But I couldn't just leave Dawn behind! Not after her mother's Chatot died…"

"Is that the Pokémon that Dawn grew to love?" asked Professor Rowan.

Barry nodded. "Yeah, his name was 'Alto' and me and Dawn practically grew up with him…it was a hard blow to find out he was gone…anyways, what do I need to do to get a license?"

Professor Rowan nodded and handed Barry the Poké balls in his arms. Barry set down Torrent first before taking any Poké balls, which, afterwards, he placed in his satchel or, 'dude-purse' as he called it. Professor Rowan turned and walked over to his computer, sitting himself down on his chair. Barry blinked as he watched Professor Rowan begin to type.

"Let's start with a few personal, but important questions," Professor Rowan explained. "Now…are you a girl or a boy?" (3)

Barry blinked and scowled at Professor Rowan. "Do I look like a girl to you? What kind of question is that?"

Professor Rowan expected this reaction from Barry as he typed in the right gender for the blond. "During my first year in Kanto, I've actually come across a Trainer whose gender had to be fixed on their card because of a small mishap. You might know him, or rather, her as the Viridian Forest-born Trainer that is friends with Red…"

"Yellow's a girl?" exclaimed Barry. "Damn and I thought I knew everything about Red's friends! Now I owe Dawn 900 Pokédollars…" (4)

"Since then, most Trainers are asked their gender to confirm it," said Professor Rowan. "I was just making sure…"

"I could see why…" said Barry. "I'm still getting over the shock that Yellow's a girl!"

"Let's move on to the next question…" said Professor Rowan. "What is your name? Be aware that this is your license…it will hold your identity throughout your journey, so I need your full name."

Barry huffed. "Fine…It's Pearl Barry Hiyama…" (5)

Professor Rowan arched his brow as he typed in Barry's full name. _"Hmm…so that's where…the resemblance is indeed very striking…"_

* * *

Meanwhile outside,

Lucas was nodding off, only for his Turtwig to bite him on the head hard to keep him fully conscious. Waiting for Dawn was rather tiring…

"Where are you Platinum…?" Lucas muttered as he rubbed his eye.

"_Turtwig!"_ exclaimed Wig.

Lucas stopped rubbing his eye and removed his hand, blinking when he saw a figure in the distant running towards him. He blinked again and realized that it was Dawn after spotting her Chimchar's telltale tail flame flickering brightly within the darkness.

"Oh, Dawn!" Lucas called out, sneezing afterwards. "Hey, Dawn!"

Dawn heard her name being called and spotted Lucas in the distance, waiting outside what she assumed was Professor Rowan's laboratory. She quickened her pace and began sprinting towards the dopey-eyed boy. Within just a minute or so, Dawn managed to make it to Lucas. By now, she was sweating and breathing hard, the cold air having a small affect on her usual athletic abilities. Running for her in this cold weather was slightly harder…especially since her nose was _freezing_!

Rubbing her nose, Dawn looked at Lucas and noticed something…

"Why are you still in your pajamas?" asked Dawn.

"I just woke up…" Lucas said, yawning afterwards. "I've been waiting for you and, by the way, Barry says you lost!"

Dawn blinked a few times and cursed under her breath. "Damn…so much for trying, right Blaze?"

Blaze nodded in response to its Trainer. _"Chim…"_

"_Star!"_ exclaimed Starly.

Lucas blinked a few times, just barely noticing the Starly in Dawn's arms. It seemed rather angry…

"Whoa, where'd you get that Pokémon!" said Lucas. "Looks mighty angry…"

"Forget angry, it's hurt!" exclaimed Dawn. "Please tell me the Professor's awake…he's gotta take a look at this!"

Lucas just nodded. "He is…in fact, your impatient friend is talking to him as we speak. What happened?"

Dawn frowned. "I dunno…I just found Starly this way and…I couldn't just leave it…"

"I wouldn't blame you," said Lucas. "Now let's go in! My hands are starting to feel numb…"

"_Twig!"_ exclaimed Wig.

"I didn't forget about you," said Lucas. "Now, follow me!"

Dawn nodded and followed Lucas into the laboratory, only to suddenly bump into a certain orange-eyed blond.

THUD!

"Gah, my head!" yelled Dawn.

Barry had just bumped into Dawn for the umpteenth time and knocked her down onto the ground. Dawn landed on her tailbone on the stone-cold ground. Wincing, Dawn looked up at Barry, glaring at him afterwards.

"Barry, you dunce!" she exclaimed through her clenched teeth.

Barry blinked, slightly dazed from bumping his head right into Dawn's. "What the…Oh, it's you, Dawn!"

"I am going to mangle you if you don't—" Dawn was cut off by Barry as he continued to talk over her.

"That old guy…he's not scary so much as he is totally out there!" exclaimed Barry. "Check out what he just gave me! BAM!"

Barry held out an orange card with his name, picture, and other bits of information printed out in small, black letters in a manner similar to a license. Dawn stared wide-eyed at it, momentarily forgetting what she was just angry about.

"It's a Trainer card!" exclaimed Barry. "I dunno about you, but I'm outta here! Tell my mom I love her and that I'm going to make a name for myself out there! C'mon, Torrent! There be Pokémon out there!"

Torrent popped up by his Trainer's side, his chest puffed up as he exclaimed, _"Pip!"_

Barry nodded and knelt down, picking up the small Penguin Pokémon. He stood up afterwards and then rocketed off.

"See ya later!" was what he last said before completely disappearing in the distance.

Dawn stared wide-eyed at Barry, having just seen him take off.

"Crap…why do I always have to do the explaining…?" Dawn complained.

"Uh, Dawn…that Starly?" Lucas said, pointing at the bird Pokémon in Dawn's arms.

Dawn blinked and immediately got off the ground. "You're right! Professor Rowan!"

Lucas watched as Dawn dashed into the laboratory, leaving him and Wig alone in the cold. Blinking a few times, Lucas yawned and walked inside the lab, patting at Wig's back as he did.

"You did good in keeping me awake, little buddy…for that, a treat," said Lucas.

Wig closed his eyes and smiled happily. _"Twig!"_

Professor Rowan ran his hand through his hair, contemplating over what to do since Barry ran out before he was able to give him a very important item. He sighed and turned, only to see Dawn running towards him, calling his name.

"Professor Rowan!" exclaimed Dawn. "You gotta see this!"

Professor Rowan arched his brow as Dawn stopped in front of him, panting a bit before holding out the small Pokémon in her arms.

"A Starly?" said Professor Rowan. "How did you manage to catch one without a Poké ball…?"

"_Star!"_ exclaimed Starly. _"Star!"_

"You gotta look at its wing!" said Dawn. "It's hurt!"

Professor Rowan's eyes widened slightly. "What?"

Dawn knelt down and set the Starly onto the floor. Starly immediately started distance itself from the Trainer, only to be picked up by Professor Rowan. It squabbled as Professor Rowan looked over it, crying out when the professor began to carefully extend its right wing.

"_Star!"_ it cried out.

"I see…" said Professor Rowan.

Dawn frowned. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's wing is broken…" the professor answered. "It can't be more than just a fledgling…must've fallen and broken its wing during its first attempt at flight."

"So that's what's wrong with it…" Lucas said as he walked into view. "Poor thing…"

Professor Rowan looked at Dawn. "It's a good thing you brought Starly along with you…most fledglings that have broken their wings are usually left behind to die, abandoned by their own flock. You have saved this Starly's life…"

Lucas placed his face near the Starly's. "You oughta be thanking Dawn for that!"

"_Star!"_ squawked Starly.

"Yeah, yeah…hey, Professor Rowan," said Lucas. "You got any food for fledglings? I think this one's mad because it's hungry…"

Professor Rowan nodded. "Indeed…Arceus knows how long it's been grounded…it's in the kitchen cabinet right near the refrigerator!"

Lucas nodded and took his Turtwig off his head, setting it down on the floor.

"Okay, Wig…we gotta make some food for a fledgling!" said Lucas. "While we're at it, let's make breakfast!"

Wig nodded. _"Twig!"_

Having said that, Lucas and Wig walked away, leaving the professor and Dawn alone with the Starly fledging and of course, who can forget about Blaze? No one, that's who!

"I see that Chimchar of yours is very happy," Professor Rowan mused.

Dawn nodded. "I've been meaning to ask…what's Chimchar's gender?"

"That Chimchar is female," replied Professor Rowan. "Aside from Lady Berlitz's Piplup, it is the only female among the Starter Pokémon I currently have on hand."

Dawn blinked and placed her hand on Blaze's hand. "Well, I guess that makes Flare and Fira open for business…unless you wanna stick to Blaze, do ya?"

Blaze nodded her head. _"Char!"_

"Well, you're officially named, 'Blaze'!" said Dawn.

"You and Barry seemed to share similarities in naming your Starter after its ability," said Professor Rowan.

"Nah, Barry named his after my mom told him about Piplup's ability…" explained Dawn. "I named mine on a whim…she liked it, so we took it…right, Blaze?"

Blaze nodded in agreement. _"Char!"_

"So…what do we do about this little guy?" said Dawn.

Professor Rowan held out the Starly to Dawn. "Hold onto the little fledgling…I know what to do."

A few moments later,

"_Star!"_ cried Starly. _"Star!"_

"Calm down, we're not gonna hurt you!" said Dawn.

"I'm actually surprised Lady Berlitz hasn't woken up yet…" said Professor Rowan. "Now just keep a firm grip on Starly…I'm almost done…"

Professor Rowan was wrapping a bandage around the Starly, under its unbroken wing and in front of its feet. The bandage kept Starly's broken wing in place, which is what Professor Rowan wanted it to do.

"There…" said Professor Rowan. "You can set it down, now."

Dawn nodded and set Starly down on the floor. The Starly turned to Dawn and squawked at her, lifting up its unbroken wing in an intimidating manner. It then tried to peck Dawn, but only managed to peck her boots instead.

"_Star!"_ it squawked.

Dawn blinked a few times and laughed. "So, what are we going to do with it?"

"Dawn, since you found it…you might as well take responsibility for it," said Professor Rowan. "Are you willing to take in a baby bird Pokémon?"

Dawn stared at Professor Rowan for a few seconds before diverting her gaze on the Starly. It squawked at her a few times, before deciding to give up and settled on nesting down on top of Dawn's left boot. The Starly noticed that Dawn was staring at it, and looked up as it opened its mouth and held up its unbroken wing.

"_Star!"_ it cried out.

Dawn's expression softened as she smiled at the Starly. "Fine…I guess you're also stuck with me. You probably hate me…but you're just gonna have to get used to it."

"I don't think it necessarily hates you," Professor Rowan mused as he looked at the Starly. "I think it may have actually accepted you as its surrogate mother."

Dawn arched her brow at Professor Rowan. "How so?"

"Because it's looking up to you with an open mouth!" exclaimed Lucas. "Baby bird Pokémon tend to do that when they're hungry!"

Dawn turned to Lucas, whom was currently stirring something within a cup with a spoon.

"What's that?" asked Dawn.

Lucas blinked as he continued to stir what was inside the cup. "That's the little fledgling's food! Now, do you want a syringe or a spoon?"

"What for?" asked Dawn.

"Well, you're gonna be feeding the little guy until it learns how to eat on its own," Lucas explained. "Right now, it's still young and still depends on its own parents to feed it. And for this Starly, it wants you to be its surrogate mother!"

Wig nodded along in agreement with his Trainer. _"Wig!"_

Dawn blinked a few times and narrowed her eyes as she spun her index finger around in the air. "Yay…"

Professor Rowan placed his hand on Dawn's shoulder, looking at the girl with a serious expression.

"Be aware, it will be a lot of responsibility," Professor Rowan warned Dawn. "You will have to feed it, change its bandages, and nurture it as it grows…are you willing to handle such a responsibility?"

Dawn looked at Professor Rowan, wearing a serious expression of her own as well.

"Look, if I already agreed to taking care of Starly, what makes you think I'm going to change my mind?" asked Dawn. "This little guy is mine and I don't care what responsibility comes with it…I want to give it the chance it was almost deprived of before I came along…"

Professor Rowan nodded firmly. "I see…very well. Lucas, show Dawn how to care for Starly. I know you have had experience taking care of the lab's baby Pokémon."

Lucas gave Professor Rowan a dopey smile as he saluted. "Aye, aye, Professor…come on, Dawn! You've got a lot to learn…"

"I'm suddenly regretting ever coming to accept this responsibility…" Dawn said as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face.

"_Star!"_ exclaimed Starly.

Dawn blinked and looked down at the Starly. Starly was still looking at her, wearing a certain expression on its face. Dawn stared at it for a few seconds, her expression softening as an endearing smile crossed her face.

"Now I see…" said Dawn. "Come here, little guy…"

Dawn knelt down in front of Starly, picking up the small bird Pokémon into her arms afterwards. This time, Starly was more willing than hesitant, showing no signs of resistance.

A few moments later,

Dawn was sitting at the kitchen table with a syringe in her hand. It was full of the fledgling formula food Lucas had mixed for the Starly, which was currently set on the table in front of Dawn. Dawn placed the tip of the syringe near the Starly's beak, immediately earning a reaction as it opened its mouth. She slowly pushed on the plunger, letting the formula slowly drip into the Starly's mouth. As she did this, Lucas was watching over her. (6)

"You're doing good, Dawn," said Lucas. "Now just keep feeding it until its crop is full."

Dawn nodded as she continued to feed the Starly. "Got it…so am I set?"

"For now," said Lucas. "I'll go over how to get the little guy weaned later on, for now…okay, now what would you like on your waffles?"

"I'll be happy if you put berries on my waffles," said Dawn. "And would you mind giving some to Blaze over here?"

Blaze, currently sitting on Dawn's shoulder, held up her hand. _"Char!"_

Lucas nodded as he placed his on his chef's hat and tied on a white apron. "Okay, so the Lady and her Pokémon want berries…got it!"

"I'm not Lady…" said Dawn. "Speaking of her, where is she?"

Lucas jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, point at a door in the hallway. "Probably asleep…she wears earplugs, ya know."

"That explains why she has yet to awaken…" Professor Rowan said as he walked into the kitchen. "I see you two are set on staying awake."

"There's no point in going back to sleep, now," said Dawn. _"Which I'll probably regret later on in the day since I'll start to feel groggy…"_

"Hey, Dawn!" Lucas said as he began to make the waffle batter. "What are you gonna name the little guy?"

Dawn blinked and diverted her gaze on the Starly, who was begging for more food. As Dawn replenished the formula within the syringe, a name suddenly popped up in mind.

"Zephyr…I'm naming it, 'Zephyr'," said Dawn. "By the way…Professor Rowan, I need another gender confirmation…I rather not make any assumptions."

Professor Rowan looked closely at the Starly on the table, paying close attention to its forehead.

"The small, white spot on its forehead makes it female," said Professor Rowan. "Females tend to have smaller spots on their forehead then males…Dawn, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Dawn looked questioningly at Professor Rowan as she began to feed her Starly, Zephyr, again. "What is it?"

"It's about Barry…and you," replied Professor Rowan. "When I first saw you two, or rather, Barry, about to step into the tall grass without a Pokémon, I was shocked. I was astonished by these foolhardy children."

Dawn narrowed her eyes at Professor Rowan.

"Look, Professor, it was all Barry's idea!" said Dawn. "I was against it!"

Professor Rowan held up his hand, motioning at Dawn to stop talking. "But now, you've astounded me in an entirely different way. Already, there is a bond growing between you and that Pokémon you have affectionately named, 'Blaze'. I feel privileged to have met you. I'm sure Blaze feels the same way about you. That's why I'll ask you to cherish that Chimchar of yours."

Dawn nodded. "I will…"

Lucas was pouring the waffle batter into the waffle iron. He smiled, having overheard Professor Rowan.

"It's a good thing I know you're a good person, Dawn!" said Lucas. "You're kind towards Pokémon…I can't even think about the possibilities if you weren't…"

…

Professor Rowan cleared his throat. "Er-hem! Let's move onto the main topic…there is something I want you to do for me."

"_I knew there was a catch…" _thought Dawn. "What is it?"

"Allow me to properly introduce myself first," said Professor Rowan. "My name, as you know, is Rowan. I study Pokémon. First of all, I want to know exactly what kinds of Pokémon live in the Sinnoh region. To do so, it is necessary to collect data using the Pokédex. This is what I wish to ask of you."

Professor Rowan walked over to Dawn and held out a small, rectangular ice-blue device to her. Dawn had just finished feeding Zephyr at the moment when the device was held out to her. She blinked and took the device after setting down the syringe she used to feed Zephyr.

"What is it?" asked Dawn. _"Looks like my DS…the one Barry broke last month…"_

And she was almost done finishing a game that took her nearly three months to beat…

"That is a Pokédex…" replied Professor Rowan. "I want to entrust you with this Pokédex. Will you use it to record data on all the Pokémon in Sinnoh for me?"

Dawn blinked a few times and just shifted her attention to her Pokédex.

"Yeah, I will…" she answer, flipping open the Pokédex. "Cool…"

"Hmm…Good answer," remarked Professor Rowan.

"Hold on!" Dawn exclaimed, closing the Pokédex. "I don't have to catch 'em all, do I?" (7)

"Er-hem…no, you don't," the professor said, arching his brow. "At least, not anymore…You seem to know a lot about these…"

Dawn rubbed the back of her head. "Well, I had to do a report on the professors for school once and one of my topics were of the Pokédex…"

"Aren't you eleven?" asked Professor Rowan.

Dawn twiddled her fingers. "Well, you see…"

Lucas, having overheard, smiled as he set the batch of recently made waffles on a platter. Having gone to school with Dawn, Lucas knew the reason for Dawn's remarkable knowledge.

"Platinum skipped two grades!" explained Lucas. "She's just as smart as Lady, only without the private tutors!" (8)

Dawn diverted her eyes on Lucas. "That's Dawn… so Professor…anything else you want to tell me about this Pokédex?"

"That Pokédex is a very high-tech device," said Professor Rowan. "It will automatically record data on every kind of Pokémon you encounter. Dawn, I ask that you go everywhere and meet every kind of Pokémon in this region!"

Dawn stared at the Professor for a few seconds. "Are you sending me on a Pokémon journey?"

Professor Rowan nodded. "Your friend has already left…why don't you do the same?"

"Yeah!" said Lucas. "Lady and I are also going on a journey…"

"Is that why you have to escort her?" asked Dawn.

Lucas blinked a few times. "I guess that's one…but it might be because I'm the only kid around her age she knows. She's going on a journey for the experience and to grow as a person."

"It is a great opportunity to gain experience and learn about the world as you progress," Professor Rowan added. "When you walked up Route 201 with your Pokémon, what did you feel?"

Dawn diverted her gaze on Blaze. She honestly had no clue what to say…words could not describe what she actually felt when she walked up Route 201 with Blaze.

"I've lived for sixty long years," Professor Rowan continued. "Even now, I get a thrill when I'm with a Pokémon. Now, you should know that there are countless Pokémon in this world…That means there are just as many thrills waiting for you out there! Now go! Dawn, your grand adventure begins right now!"

Lucas smiled as he walked over to Dawn, carrying two plates full of berry-topped waffles. One of the plates full of waffles was cut into small, bite-sized pieces.

"The Pokémon that I met for the first time was Wig!" said Lucas. "Actually, I met others, but Wig was my first Pokémon…"

Lucas looked over his shoulder at Wig, whom smiled at him.

"_Turtwig!"_ said Wig.

"I'll be helping you out on your journey by filling out the Pokédex as well," said Lucas. "In a sense, I'm just like you…"

"I guess that makes us colleagues," said Dawn. "Are those my waffles?"

Lucas resisted the urge to laugh at the eager look on Dawn's face…one that she couldn't hide. He set the plates down in front of Dawn and handed her a knife and fork.

"Dig in!" said Lucas. "I took the liberty of cutting your waffles for you, Blaze."

Blaze made her way over to the plate next to Dawn's on the table. She looked questioningly at the bite-sized waffles and then turned to Dawn, whom was already helping herself to her plate full of waffles. Blaze tilted her head to the side as she watched Dawn begin to eat.

"Lucas, your cooking skills are to die for!" said Dawn. "Man, these waffles are great!"

Lucas smiled widely at Dawn. "My cooking skills are nothing compared to your mother's."

"Are you kidding me?" said Dawn. "My mom makes the best pancakes…you, on the other hand, make the best waffles!"

* * *

Meanwhile,

Johanna was in her room, asleep in bed. A small, gray feline Pokémon with a curled, spring-like tail with white fluff at the tip of it was curled up by Johanna, also asleep. Suddenly, Johanna sat up in bed and sneezed loudly, waking up and startling the Pokémon sleeping near her.

"_Nya!"_ yowled the Pokémon.

Johanna rubbed her nose, diverting her gaze on the Pokémon. The Pokémon's fur was puffed up and its tail was bristled as it stared at Johanna with an angry expression from within a corner in the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Nyu…" said Johanna. "Didn't mean for that to happen…I get the feeling my cooking was just considered second best…"

Nyu the Glameow glared at her Trainer as she made her way towards the bed. It was too damn early for this…

"I'll make it up for you later, today," said Johanna. "I'll make those poffins you love so much."

Immediately, Nyu's expression went from rage to extreme adoration as she looked endearingly at Johanna. Johanna smiled.

"_Never fails to work…"_ she thought.

* * *

Back at the lab,

Blaze focused her attention back on the plate of waffles in front of her. Having seen her Trainer's reaction to eating these waffles, Blaze's curiosity was piqued. Tentatively, Blaze grabbed a small piece and placed it into her mouth. She chewed slowly, her expression immediately changing to one of pure delight.

"_Char!"_ she happily exclaimed after swallowing.

Dawn looked at her Chimchar and smiled. "It's delicious isn't it?"

"_Star!"_ exclaimed Zephyr.

Zephyr was flapping her unbroken wing as she stared at Dawn. Dawn turned her attention to the Starly, who was currently eyeing Dawn's waffles.

"Oh…you want some?" asked Dawn.

"_Star!"_ exclaimed Zephyr.

Dawn turned to Lucas. "Uh…is it okay to give Zephyr some of my waffles?"

"Yeah, just make sure it's small enough for her to swallow," said Lucas. "This is a good way to get her off the formula…"

Dawn nodded and cut her waffles into small pieces. Afterwards, she picked up a small bit with her fingers and carried it over to Zephyr, dropping it into the Starly's open mouth. Zephyr closed her beak and swallowed, letting out a very satisfied chirp afterwards.

"Lucas, you have got to give me the recipe for your waffles," said Dawn. "If you do, I'll love you forever…like a brother."

Lucas laughed. "Sure, I'll give it to you after breakfast…I better go wake Lady up."

"Um…Lucas, you are aware it's almost six in the morning, right?" Dawn said as she gave her Starly another waffle bit.

Lucas waved his hand at Dawn. "She'll be fine…as for me…"

"Dead-man walking," said Dawn. "Good luck with waking her up…"

"What's going on…?" a groggy voice questioned. "What is this about waking me up?"

Dawn blinked, noticing that the voice had a tone of sophistication within it, meaning…

"Oh, good morning, Lady!" said Lucas. "Looks like I don't have to wake you up!"

Dawn's eye twitched as she slowly turned, soon finding herself face to face with a girl wearing a high-quality-looking pink nightgown…

"_Is that silk?"_ thought Dawn. "Whoa…"

The girl standing in front of Dawn was none other than Platinum Berlitz, a member of the house of Berlitz, a 200 year-old _extremely_ financially powerful family of Sinnoh.

"_Are those fricken' diamond and pearl rings she's wearing on her hands?"_ Dawn thought as she stared enviously at the rings the highly wealthy girl wore.

Platinum rubbed her eyes, trying to look as sophisticated as she could in her current disheveled state. Her Piplup tottered over to her side moments after Platinum had made her appearance.

"_Pii?"_ said Piplup.

"I take my earplugs off for just a few seconds and I hear this entire racket going on…" she complained. "You know it's rude to talk about people behind their…Hmm…? Who's this girl…?"

Platinum and Dawn stared at each other right in the eye. It was rather shocking, at first…almost like staring right into a mirror. Blaze climbed down from the table and jumped onto the floor, landing in front of Platinum's Piplup. The two Pokémon stared at each other, a small stream of electricity crackling between their eyes as they looked at one another. They did not like each other…

"That's the girl I was telling you about, Lady!" Lucas explained as he walked over to the table. "Ya know, Johanna's kid!"

Platinum blinked a few times and nodded. "Oh, Sinnoh's Top Coordinator Johanna's daughter…I don't see what's so special about her."

Immediately, Dawn found that she had an extreme disliking of Platinum Berlitz. She came off all spoiled to her…

A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Lucas's face as he looked nervously at Platinum. "Now, now, Lady…don't be so blunt…"

Platinum blinked owlishly. "But I'm just stating my opinion…"

"Don't mind her, Dawn…she's just being blunt," Lucas said, trying his hardest to keep Dawn from judging Platinum. "She's still getting used to socializing with others not within her…um, uh…'rank'."

Dawn tilted her head to the side and just huffed. "Sorry for not being in her rank…"

Platinum blinked and immediately looked closer at Dawn. "Hey, Dane."

"That's Dawn…" corrected Dawn.

"Dawn…I just love your coat!" said Platinum. "You also wear the same clothes as me!"

Dawn blinked a few times and exclaimed, "Wha?"

Platinum looked at Dawn with wide-eyes, sparkling with awe. "You're even wearing the limited edition beanie…it must've cost _you_ a fortune!"

Dawn blinked again, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of her face. _"Limited edition…fortune…? My mom said she got it on sale!"_

Lucas looked at Professor Rowan. "See what I mean by twins?"

Professor Rowan looked at the two girls and nodded. "Indeed…however, there is a very obvious difference between them."

Lucas nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…their eyes," he said. "And personalities…Dawn's more tomboy than lady…"

"I heard that, Dia!" exclaimed Dawn. "You're lucky you're not Barry, otherwise, I would've smacked you."

Lucas laughed nervously as a small bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

* * *

Meanwhile at Route 202,

After running all the way into the midst of the forest that was Route 202, Barry decided to set up camp as he was exhausted. He was asleep inside the green tent he had set up within his orange sleeping bag, which he shared with Torrent. Torrent was huddling up into his Trainer's chest for warmth. Suddenly, Barry sneezed, awakening both himself and Torrent. Torrent was not amused…

"Pip!" exclaimed Torrent.

"Sorry Torrent…" Barry muttered as he rubbed his nose. "Either I'm very popular enough to be talked about, or I'm catching a cold…"

"_Pip…"_ Torrent said before falling back asleep. Torrent was relishing whatever amount of sleep he got because he knew that Barry would wake up within the next two to three hours…

"Yeah, it must be the first," said Barry. _"I mean with my dad and all…yeah…Ugh, back to sleep."_

Barry made himself comfortable within his sleeping bag, falling fast asleep not long after he got into a comfortable position.

* * *

Sometime later,

Dawn looked over her Trainer card, having just received it. Zephyr was sitting on top of her Trainer's head, looking down curiously to see what her Trainer was looking at. Blaze had her place on Dawn's shoulder and she, too, was also curious as to what Dawn was looking at.

"My Trainer card…" said Dawn. _"My identity…for this journey…"_

This was it…Dawn was set to go on a journey… Professor Rowan had just handed her enough Poké balls to get her started, Lucas gave her the materials needed to caring for Zephyr, and she had a Pokédex ready to be filled with various information… Oh, and an orange Pokédex she had to give to Barry because the blond had rushed off before Professor Rowan was even able to give him his. Aside from that small annoyance, she was ready for her journey.

"I'm set," said Dawn.

Lucas rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, you're not…you might wanna let your mom know what you just got yourself into."

"And that means going back to Bidoof-infested Route 201…" said Dawn. "Great…and that reminds me. I _still_ have to explain to Suzuki about Barry…lovely."

A few moments later,

Dawn yawned as she made her way through Route 201, having just made it out of Sandgem Town. Her sleep deprivation, combined with the cold weather, was finally catching up to her and right now, all she wanted to do was sleep… Though, at the same time, she wanted to just get her journey started. Traveling the Sinnoh region and meeting new people along the adventure…

"_Sounds like something Barry would say…"_ thought Dawn. _"But I can see why…"_

It was an adventure, after all, and this time…it was actually real. It wasn't just another video game, but an actual happening in her life…

"I wonder how my mom will react…" Dawn wondered aloud.

As Dawn said this, she unknowingly crossed paths with the strange, blue-haired man she and Barry had encountered at Lake Verity. Dawn turned her head as she walked by the strange man, her gaze, as well as Zephyr's and Blaze's, locked onto him. The man showed no reaction at first to the questioning looks he received until he realized he was being stared at. He looked out at the corner of his eye, his gaze falling upon Dawn and her Pokémon.

Immediately, the man diverted his attention away from Dawn and her Pokémon, finding them irrelevant. Dawn blinked and shook her head before going back on her way, wondering what the heck had just happened.

"What was that about?" she thought.

Moments after her encounter with the strange man, Dawn realized something. Everything was calm and tranquil in Route 201. The Pokémon were at peace, their usual cries and exclamations, for once, were not heard throughout the area. And it was like this just right after that man had left, almost as if his absence was the cause of this tranquility. That man…

"_He said his name was Cyrus…"_ thought Dawn.

Just who was he?

* * *

A/N End of chapter! Another one rewritten and a few more to go before I start from scratch on chapters I shouldn't have taken _this_ long to write! :D As you can see, a lot of you will notice that Haru is gone and instead, we got Zephyr! Why?

Here's the thing…ever since Soul Silver, I've been giving my Pokémon names that have meanings and are relatable to their typing, affiliation, and all things like that! An example would be with Zephyr as the name itself actually means, "West wind". It's affiliated with the term wind and is actually a synonym of it as well as being a name. Starly are flying type Pokémon, so you can see the relation.

Blaze's name is self-explanatory as is Torrent's, but as I proceed, you will see more of these and they are referred to as, "Names of the Day". It's a trait I officially was set on doing in _Our Last Pact_, ignoring my Heart Gold and Soul Silver Story (I _REALLY_ need to rewrite that one as well…) and shall continue doing so in this story and the rest of my future Pokémon stories as well.

Okay, time for my usual little reference notes!

(1) Remember Cyrus? This whole situation is showing how much intimidating Cyrus is…in the manga, or rather, the separate _Diamond and Pearl Adventure!_ series has shown main characters Mitsumi and Hareta very much shaken up at the mere presence and gaze of Cyrus. Dawn and Barry are no exception to this same reaction and I want to keep it that way…Cyrus us a very intimidating character.

(2) Reason for this…it's a bit of a small joke and reference to a comment on YouTube that I found some time ago while looking up Barry's rival theme. It involved Dawn, Lucas, and Barry. It went something like this exactly…

Dawn: "Oooh, I love your bag! Where'd you get it?"

Barry: "No, it's a sophisticated carrying device where I store my items!"

Dawn: "A what now?"

Lucas: "In shorter words, it's a man purse."

Barry: "I prefer to call it a dude purse...-_-"

Don't know who made that comment on YouTube, but credit goes to them!

(3) That question…dat question…finally found a way to include it! :D Everyone who has played a Pokémon game past Crystal should know this infamous question…the "Are you a Boy or a Girl?" one…this is how I got it involved. Since then, most Professors are to ask this question to avoid making misconceptions.

(4) Yellow…the very reason (in my story) for the whole "Are you a Boy or Girl?" question…and my reason for using it. It just came to me and for me, that was my opportunity to finally include that question without making it seem too absurd. Everyone who has read _Pokémon Adventures_ should know who Yellow is, like I do and I love her as a character! In fact, most of my _Secret or Misconception _should recognize this name as Hayato calls Jaden this name at times seeing as Jaden shares a common trait with Yellow. For everyone who has gotten to that certain chapter, they should know that Yellow is a girl. For those who still believe Yellow is a guy and think that she is not a girl because they didn't pay attention to the manga…

Boot to the head… And for those who didn't read the manga, or have yet to have gotten to that chapter…sorry for spoiling it for you! DX

(5) Barry's surname is a reference to his father's Japanese voice actor in the anime, which is Nobuyuki Hiyama.

(6) It took me longer to write this chapter out because I actually _had_ to look up information on caring for broken wings _and_ feeding baby birds…yeah, this is actually somewhat accurate information. I had to add and change some bits to keep it Pokémon-esque when it came to the food… Oh, and Starly and its evolutions are apparently based on white-cheeked Starlings. I used that to my advantage and used some of the information to make a makeshift life cycle for Starly. *the more you know* :3

(7) Before the events of Generation I, Professor Oak had found that the "Gotta Catch 'em All" motif a very difficult and very demanding task to be given to a ten year-old. By the events of Generation I, the Pokédex records data on its own, updating every once in a while when it finds something it deems relevant to a certain species of Pokémon. The first Trainers to receive this new Pokédex were the Trainers of Generation I, which I shall get to writing a story about them sometime later in the future, just like I will with Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and yeah…

(8) This is just to put Dawn on another similar standing to Platinum, showing how much the same they are and yet, there are distinct differences between them as well. Platinum has her private tutors and access to a vast excess of books, thanks to her family's wealth. Dawn only had her mother, whom had the experience, and whatever Dawn had managed to take in from her town's library. So difference…Dawn is more of a self-learner whilst Platinum just has more experience.

Flames are **NEVER** accepted, but constructive criticism is! :D Reviews are just things that keep me happy…if you hate the story, tell me why! I like to hear people's opinions, so long as it isn't about why I'm taking this story on a different route and such…

Anyways, this is it for now! Hope this makes up a bit for what this story once was! Till next time, **KD** out! XD


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